Consider you are appointed at the surgical pre-assessment clinic. You are visited by a 66-year-old patient who will undergo an elective abdominoperineal resection for rectal carcinoma. He suffers from COPD and a heavy smoker with 15 cigarettes per day. He does not require oxygen at present but uses inhalers daily and takes oral theophylline and amlodipine. Hence, apart from mild hypertension, he does not have any signs or history of cardiac disease. He has been admitted to the hospital on two occasions for breathing problems but he has never been admitted to an intensive care unit.
Examination Blood pressure: 146/93mmHg; Pulse rate: 88/min Oxygen saturation: 93% on air. Heart sounds are normal. On auscultation, there is moderate air entry with some scattered wheeze. The rest of examination is unremarkable. Which tests would you recommend other than ECG and normal blood check? *This case…
