To review the available evidence on the value of routine preoperative testing in healthy or asymptomatic adults. To identify areas for further research. How the research was conducted The databases Medline, Embase, Biological Abstracts, Science Citation Index and HealthSTAR were thoroughly searched for relevant articles which were then classified and appraised. In this review, 'routine' tests are defined as those ordered for an asymptomatic, apparently healthy individual in the absence of any specific clinical indication, to identify conditions undetected by clinical history and examination. Research findings No controlled trials of the value of the following routine preoperative tests have been published.
All available evidence reports the results of case-series.
The effect on patient outcomes is unknown. The effect on patient outcomes is unknown. The proportion of abnormal tests rises with age and worsening ASA status. The predictive power of preoperative ECGs for postoperative cardiac complications in non- cardiopulmonary surgery is weak. There is no evidence to support the value of recording a preoperative ECG as a 'baseline'.