Types of Preoperative Blood Tests You Have to Know About

An operation or surgery, however minor it might be, runs down chills through our spines. Operations, major or minor requires a lot of mental and physical preparation. Although with the advancement in science and medicine, operation nowadays doesn't seem so dangerous, still then it requires a lot of preoperative and postoperative formalities. Preoperative blood test is an essential formality that must be performed. There is a big list of tests that one has to go through before a surgery and this may scare so man. But all these tests will help them in knowing whether they are fit for the surgery or does doctors have to take any kind of extra precautions or treat any underlying conditions of the patient.

Preoperative Blood Test

Preoperative blood test is a set of blood tests that are prescribed by a doctor when he plans to conduct an operation on a patient. The doctor will need every detail about your body before an operation and that is why he prescribes the blood tests. The blood tests are conducted depending upon the patient’s age, his illness and the type of operation to be conducted.

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The types of Preoperative Blood Test:

• Blood glucose test: Diabetes or high sugar levels in your blood can hinder your postoperative recovery. Therefore, this preoperative blood test is essential to check whether the patient is suffering from diabetes and proper medications prescribed if the blood test results positive.
• Full blood count test or FBC: This blood test gives complete detail of all the blood cells, their count and if there are any abnormalities in them. It also measures hemoglobin to check whether you are suffering from anemia. Anemia can be dangerous if left untreated before an operation.
• Blood clotting tests: The test is most important before an operation to reduce the chances of excessive bleeding.  The test determine how long your blood takes to clot.
• Kidney function test: This preoperative blood test is done to check the health of the kidneys. They are also necessary before any surgery related to the kidneys or the urinary system.
• Pregnancy test: A pregnancy test is done before any surgery to rule out any chances of pregnancy before an operation. There are certain surgeries that pregnant woman cannot go under and doctors will avoid that kind of surgeries if they find out about this situation.
• Potassium: This blood test is conducted before an operation to check the levels of potassium and sodium in your body. Potassium and sodium are important components which regulate the heartbeats and other normal functioning of the body. A sodium-potassium test is especially conducted before any cardiovascular operations.
• Liver function test: This preoperative blood test is also known as LFT and provides complete information about a person’s liver. The test measures a person’s bilirubin, albumin, SGOT, SGPT, total proteins and other liver functions. This test is especially performed before any operation related to the liver and the other hepatic organs.
• Thyroid test: A thyroid test is conducted before any operation especially if the person is already suffering from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Abnormal thyroid hormones affect the normal functioning of the body and can hinder postoperative recovery. Therefore, a test is conducted and proper medications are prescribed before an operation to treat thyroid.
• HIV test: This Preoperative Blood Test is performed on the patient for the safety of both the patient and the medical team. Since HIV is transmitted through blood, the risk factors increase during the  operation of an HIV positive patient. Moreover, HIV positive people are more immune to diseases than an ordinary person, therefore doctors take extra care during operation.

If you or your family members are going through any surgery, then this article will help you in learning more about preoperative blood test.