pre-operative blood tests & screens

If you are travelling abroad for surgery you should have a pre-operative screen before you travel.

Pre-operative blood tests are carried out before surgery, even for apparently healthy people, to find out about conditions that could affect the treatment someone needs.

In addition there are more specific blood tests that may be carried out because of the particular operation, or because someone is known to have a particular health problem.

The advantages of having pre-operative blood tests include:

• finding out whether you are well enough to have an anaesthetic and to have the planned operation, and assessing what risks may be involved
  
  
• helping to make sure that you are going to get the best possible treatment
  
  
• identifying medical problems that could be treated or stabilised before surgery or that could mean that you need special care to prevent or reduce the risk of having complications
  
  
• identifying medical problems that may require your treatment to be changed to prevent or reduce the risk of complications

The number and type of pre-operative tests you may be recommended to have depends on a number of things, including:

• your health
  
  
• your age
  
  
• the type of surgery you are going to have

If there are a particular group of tests that you require, please do not hesitate to contact us.