Infographic
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Three articles in this month’s issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia detail our current approach to
preoperative assessment of surgical patients. They distinguish this from a higher standard of
management that aims to comprehensively improve the health status of these patients. Accordingly,
they define this as an evolution from simple assessment of risk to definitive optimization of
comorbid medical disease. The clear challenge in this endeavor is in balancing the relative urgency
of surgical intervention with the time and thoughtfulness of medical optimization, all the while
demonstrating value. This infographic illustrates the sweeping and inclusive approach undertaken
at 1 institution to achieve these goals.
Copyright © 2020 International Anesthesia Research Society
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April 2020 • Volume 130 • Number 4 www.anesthesia-analgesia.org 
The Infographic is composed by Naveen Nathan, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of
Medicine (n-nathan@northwestern.edu). Illustration by Naveen Nathan, MD.
REFERENCES
1. Aronson S, Martin G, Gulur P, et al. Preoperative optimization: a continued call to action. Anesth
Analg. 2020;130:808–810.
2. Vetter TR, Bader AM. Continued evolution of perioperative medicine: realizing its full potential.
Anesth Analg. 2020;130:804–807.
3. Aronson S, Murray S, Martin G, et al. Roadmap for transforming preoperative assessment to
preoperative optimization. Anesth Analg. 2020;130:811–819.