ASA Physical Status Classification
ASA PS I: No other illness except the indication for surgery, non-pregnant, non-tobacco user.
1. Adult examples include healthy, non-smoking, no or minimal alcohol use.
2. Pediatric examples include healthy (no acute or chronic disease), normal BMI percentile for age.
3. Obstetric example is nil.
ASA PS II: Patient with mild systemic disease.
1. Adult examples include mild diseases only without substantive functional limitations. Current smoker, social alcohol drinker, pregnancy, obesity (30 < BMI < 40), well-controlled diabetes mellitus or hypertension, mild lung disease.
2. Pediatric examples include asymptomatic congenital cardiac disease, well controlled dysrhythmias, asthma without exacerbation, well controlled epilepsy, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, abnormal BMI percentile for age, mild/moderate OSA, oncologic state in remission, autism with mild limitations.
3. Obstetric examples include normal pregnancy, well controlled gestational hypertension, controlled preeclampsia without severe features, diet-controlled gestational diabetes mellitus.
ASA PS III: Patient with severe systemic disease.
1. Adult examples include substantive functional limitations; one or more moderate to severe diseases. Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus or hypertension, COPD, morbid obesity (BMI ≥40), active hepatitis, alcohol dependence or abuse, implanted pacemaker, moderate reduction of ejection fraction, ESRD undergoing regularly scheduled dialysis, history (more than 3 months) of myocardial infarction, stroke, TIA, or coronary artery disease or coronary stents.
2. Pediatric examples include uncorrected stable congenital cardiac abnormality, asthma with exacerbation, poorly controlled epilepsy, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, morbid obesity, malnutrition, severe OSA, oncologic state, renal failure, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, history of organ transplantation, brain or spinal cord malformation, symptomatic hydrocephalus, premature infant PCA less than 60 weeks, autism with severe limitations, metabolic disease, difficult airway, long term parenteral nutrition. Full term infants less than 6 weeks of age.
3. Obstetric examples include preeclampsia with severe features, gestational DM with complications or high insulin requirements, a thrombophilic disease requiring anticoagulation.
ASA PS IV: Patient with severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life.
1. Adult examples include recent (within 3 months) myocardial infarction, stroke, TIA or coronary artery disease or coronary stents, ongoing cardiac ischemia or severe valve dysfunction, severe reduction of ejection fraction, shock, sepsis, DIC, AKI or ESRD not undergoing regularly scheduled dialysis.
2. Pediatric examples include symptomatic congenital cardiac abnormality, congestive heart failure, active sequelae of prematurity, acute hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, shock, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, ventilator dependence, endocrinopathy, severe trauma, severe respiratory distress, advanced oncologic state.
3. Obstetric examples include preeclampsia with severe features complicated by HELLP or other adverse event, peripartum cardiomyopathy with LVEF less than 40 percent, uncorrected or decompensated heart disease, acquired or congenital.
ASA PS V: Moribund patient who is not expected to survive without the operation.
1. Adult examples include ruptured abdominal or thoracic aneurysm, massive trauma, intracranial bleed with mass effect, ischemic bowel in the face of significant cardiac pathology or multiple organ or system dysfunction.
2. Pediatric examples include massive trauma, intracranial hemorrhage with mass effect, patient requiring ECMO, respiratory failure or arrest, malignant hypertension, decompensated congestive heart failure, hepatic encephalopathy, ischemic bowel or multiple organ or system dysfunction.
3. Obstetric examples include uterine rupture.
ASA PS VI: Brain-dead patient whose organs are being removed for donor purposes.
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