Preoperative Management of Medications

Increasingly complex medication regimens for many comorbidities in patients for planned surgical and procedural interventions necessitate detailed preoperative evaluation of the pharmacologic therapy, including the indications, the specific drugs, and dosing amount and interval. The implications of continuing or withholding these agents in the perioperative period need to be elucidated, as well as the risks of interactions and side effects. A comprehensive plan of the management of the therapeutic agents should be devised during the preoperative visit, with input from all relevant specialists, and clearly communicated to the patients in a format that ensures their comprehension and consistent compliance.