Controversial issues in outpatient anesthesia: adult and pediatric.

The 21st century will bring a new era of cost containment to the arena of ambulatory surgery force practitioners of anesthesia to reevaluate practice patterns. Along with the current increased interest in cost containment and optimal use of limited resources, growing concerns about patient outcome result in controversial issues in adult and pediatric outpatient anesthesia that must be addressed in the areas of preoperative evaluation, patient preparation and selection, laboratory screening, and practical discharge criteria. The future challenge for all practitioners is to provide high-quality anesthesia care at a reduced cost.