Blood Work Necessary Before Rhinoplasty?

Hello,
Every physician has their own protocol. With my patients, I require a complete physical and blood work prior to surgery so that I am aware of any medical issues one may have. Hope this helps answer your question. Thank you and best of luck.
Dr. Nassif

Several studies, including a large study at Mayo Clinic in 1997, show no benefit to pre-operative lab testing for otherwise healthy adults (except for a pre-op pregnancy test, of course, in females of child-bearing age). Although some surgeons get blood work, there is no scientific basis behind it.
Quoting from the Mayo study:
"We conclude that patients who have been assessed by history and physical examination and determined to have no preoperative indication for laboratory tests can safely undergo anesthesia and operation with tests obtained only as indicated intraoperatively and post-operatively. Current anesthetic and medical practices rapidly identify perioperative indications for laboratory evaluation as they arise."
I only advocate testing where there are known pre-op conditions where the test results will determine how to manage the patient intra-op and post-op. These are mostly in reconstructive patients. For cosmetic patients, we set the bar pretty high on who's healthy enough to even be considered for surgery.
All the best,
--DCP

If you are young and healthy, that is less than 40, no blood work is required by the American Society of Anesthesia for people having elective outpatient surgery. However, if you have any history of bleeding problems or anemia (low blood count) then it would be appropriate to obtain preoperative blood studies. We do require women of child bearing age to have a urine pregnancy test prior to undergoing any elective surgery or if you are over 40 a preoperative EKG. Obviously, if you have any medical problems that would require additional blood testing. I hope this information helps.

Studies have shown that standard blood tests aren't really necessary for a man under 35 as long as you are healthy and don't have any underlying medical conditions. This is a standard set by the national Anesthesia society. A good screening medical history should be sufficient to discover any major conditions that would require blood tests and/or a clearance from your primary care physician.
For women, the standard is to get two blood tests. The first is an HCG; this is a blood test to make sure you aren't pregnant. Elective surgery on a pregnant woman should not be done. Also, women may be prone to anemia so a red blood cell count is also requested at the same time.

Hi Heather,
Accredited operating rooms and anesthesiologists require at least minimal lab work a few days before surgery. Although 99.9% of the time there is no problem, it's that one case that can cause a disaster. It is a good idea to have your lab work checked before your surgery.
Good luck and be well.
Dr. P

As long as the patient is in a good state of health there is no need for any blood work. The only time blood work would be necessary prior to general anesthesia would be if the patient were on blood thinners or diuretics.

ALWAYS! No matter what I require a blood and urine panel before any Level II or III (sedation or general anesthesia) operation. That is just good medicine. In 31 years of Plastic surgery practice you would not believe the medical conditions found by just requiring preoperative testing. From diabetes to urinary infections to pregnancies to lupus to bleeding disorders. Just to mention a few. Maybe it is me but I always want safety. Regards!

Heather,
The only test that really required for a young woman is a pregnancy test. If you have no history of bleeding problems, bruising or anemia, then blood testing is like wearing a belt and suspenders. It doesn't hurt to get it done, but it's not a requirement in this patient group. Good luck!

I agree completely with Dr. Pearlman. There is no reason to do blood tests on healthy young men under age 35 (American Society of Anesthesia (ASA) risk class I). The overwhelming number of such tests enrich the labs, do not benefit either the patient or the surgeon and are done out of blind fear of lawyers. 99.999% of such "routine" tests are negative and the remainder are false results which force a repeat tests which in turn is negative and does not impact on the surgery. With ovulating women, a pregnancy (HCG) test is usually done to avoid exposing a fetus to anesthetic gas.
IF the patients has any medical issues or is over 35 years (ASA II or III) blood tests, EKG etc are justifiably obtained.
Dr. P. Aldea

Not all doctors or hospitals require blood work for young healthy individuals. For my office OR, I obtain blood work just to be on the safe side.