Health risk factors in the anesthesia population

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Public Health
• Cardiology

Background:

• Lifestyle risk factors are prevalent in patients undergoing surgery.
• Accurate assessment of these factors is crucial for perioperative management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of lifestyle risk factors in patients attending a preoperative assessment clinic.
• To compare patient self-reported risk factors with anesthetist assessments.
• To evaluate patient self-perception of preoperative health status.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey conducted at an academic teaching hospital.
• 1111 adult surgical patients were included.
• Lifestyle risk factors (overweight, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, physical activity, alcohol use) were assessed via questionnaire and anesthetist reports.

Main Results:

• High prevalence of overweight/obesity (47.5%), smoking (25.3%), and hypertension (23.7%) reported by anesthetists.
• 30.1% of patients had no lifestyle risk factors according to anesthetists.
• Significant discrepancies noted, particularly in reporting of overweight (26.5% vs 47.5%).

Conclusions:

• Perioperative patients commonly have lifestyle risk factors.
• Discrepancies in reporting suggest patients may underestimate their health risks.
• Further investigation into the impact of these factors on anesthesiology outcomes is warranted.