A preoperative checklist in esthetic plastic surgery

the authors present a checklist to be used at the last stage of a preoperative visit for esthetic plastic surgery composed of 29 yes/no questions, four blank spaces for entering data, and one question for ranking the level of risk of deep vein thrombosis. the criteria are divided into three tables relating to three areas: anesthesia, psychological aspects, and clinical risk factors. the answers are framed in four colors that identify the level of risk and suggest the degree of attention warranted. a fourth aggregate table contains reference sources which can be easily accessed during a medical visit via the internet or a portable device equipped with a medical database software. the purpose of the checklist is to reduce the possibility of adverse events involving the surgical process by identifying the risk level of each item reviewed.