Cost-benefit in preoperative studies of patients undergoing ambulatory surgical procedures classified as ASA 1. A single-center observational study.

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with ASA 1 classification have a low risk of perioperative complications, and preoperative tests (POTs) do not reduce the risk of complications. As a result, many health organizations recommend that POTs only be performed in patients with ASA 1 classification when clinically indicated. The study aimed to determine the usefulness of requesting complementary presurgical tests for healthy patients (ASA 1) regarding their cost and complications.

Methods: The present observational study was conducted at the Alcívar Hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from August to September 2022 with patients undergoing ambulatory surgery, classified as group 1 with POT and group 2 without POT. The variables recorded were age, type of anesthesia, procedure performed, and associated costs. The means were compared with Student’s t-test.

Results: The study included 62 patients, 24 in group 1 (40%) and 28 (60%) in group 2. There were 22 (33.4%) men and 40 (66.6%) women. There were no age differences between the groups. There were more patients with general anesthesia in Group 2: 86.8% versus 62.5% in Group 1 (P =0.025). The total cost of the preoperative tests was $3,960.0. There was a significant difference between the average costs of group 1 with POT: 3,625 ± 6,997 USD versus group 2 without POT: 6,250 ± 10,913 USD P < 0.001. There were no complications in any group.

Conclusions: There is no relationship between postoperative complications and the request for preoperative studies in patients with ASA 1 classification.