Archives of internal medicine
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Multicenter Study
A population-based study of anesthesia consultation before major noncardiac surgery.
In single-center studies, consultation by an anesthesiologist days to weeks before surgery was associated with reduced patient anxiety, case cancellations on the day of surgery, and duration of hospitalization. Nonetheless, the impact of anesthesia consultation on outcomes in the population remains unclear. ⋯ Preoperative anesthesia consultation is associated with reduced length of stay but not with reduced mortality. Future research should evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the increasing use of anesthesia consultation.