Usefulness of preoperative testing in pediatric podiatric surgery. Does it influence clinical decisions?

This article discusses the changing approach to preoperative laboratory testing in healthy children undergoing foot and ankle surgery from the economic as well as the medico-legal perspectives. The author then reviews the laboratory findings for 203 children, discusses the number and types of abnormalities encountered, and defines their impact on decision making in the perioperative period. Based on these experiences, recommendations on appropriate testing for these patients are made.