Evaluation of Preoperative Anemia Prevalence in Elective Minor Surgery in Children

The incidence of anemia and its association with postoperative complications in pediatric patients undergoing elective minor surgery are unknown. This study aims to determine the prevalence of anemia and its impact on postoperative complications in children undergoing elective minor surgery under general anesthesia. The preoperative complete blood count data of ASA I-II patients aged 1-18 years, for whom the pediatric surgery department planned an elective minor surgery under general anesthesia between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019, were evaluated retrospectively. The frequency of patients with abnormal hemoglobin values, the influence on preoperative treatment, the perioperative blood requirement and the complications were evaluated. Based on the specified inclusion interval, 851 of 3142 patients (784 Turks, 67 immigrants) met the inclusion criteria. It was observed that 24.38% of these patients had varying degrees of anemia (1.72% was rated as severe anemia). In addition, it was found that the operations of patients with anemia were not postponed and no additional assessment was required from the patients. It was found that the prevalence of anemia between Turkish patients and immigrant patients is similar. No complications were observed in the patients during the perioperative period. We found that the preoperative complete blood count test has limited value in patient management in children undergoing elective minor surgery and the prevalence of anemia in our area is quite high. Instead of routine laboratory tests, a careful medical history and physical examination are sufficient to determine the preoperative suitability of the pediatric patient before elective minor surgery.