This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Bruce Kleinman, MD; Theodore C. Smith, MD
Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, Ill

JAMA. 1987;258(9):1171.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

We found the study by Eagle et al¹ using dipyridamole-thallium scanning to evaluate cardiac preoperative risk particularly relevant to our field of endeavor—anesthesiology. However, for those interested in the historical development of a risk index for preoperative patients, we would like to correct three points about the "risk classification developed by the Dripps—American Surgical Association." First, it is not a risk classification at all. Second, it was not developed by Dr Dripps. Third, it had nothing to do with the American Surgical Association.

A classification of preoperative health or physical status was proposed under the auspices of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, not the American Surgical Association, in 1941 by Drs Saklad,² Rovenstine, and Taylor. This classification was not then nor is it now a classification of risk. Its purpose was to facilitate the tabulation of statistical data in anesthesia. It was hoped that classifying patients . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?