Preoperative evaluation and preparation of the pediatric patient.

A successful anesthetic is built on the foundation of the preoperative evaluation and preparation, six features of which will be discussed: (1) content and timing of the anesthesiologist's preoperative evaluation; (2) value of preoperative laboratory testing; (3) psychological effects of hospitalization and surgery; (4) approaches to psychological preparation; (5) pharmacological premedication (except for drugs designed to sedate or reduce anxiety, reviewed in the article by Bennie and McNiece); and (6) preoperative feeding schedules.