Perioperative management of the patient with asthma

In conclusion, asthma is a common medical condition which significantly increases the morbidity and mortality of surgical procedures (59). The anesthesiologist should be closely involved in the preoperative assessment and preparation of these patients for surgery and should be continually aware of the possibility of interactions between anesthetic agents and medications commonly used in the management of asthma. The safe clinical management of this challenging population group demands not only expertise in carefully planning an anesthetic technique best suited to an individual patient and his specific disease process, but also detailed communication and cooperation with the physicians referring the patient for surgery.