Preoperative assessment and premedication in paediatrics.

Preoperative assessment and premedication represent important preparatory steps to ensuring a smooth and effective induction of anaesthesia. A thorough review of the child's medical history, previous anaesthetics, medications, allergies and family history is essential to design the optimal anaesthetic for the child and his/her surgery. Risks must be addressed with the parents as appropriate based on the local standards. Preoperative anxiolysis may assume several strategies, with premedication with a pharmacologic agent very common and most successful. This review focuses on the preoperative assessment and premedication for children undergoing elective surgery.