💉 ASA Physical Status Classification

When to use

Use before surgery to assign a physical-status class and append 'E' for emergencies, supporting anesthetic risk discussion.

How it works

ASA I healthy; II mild systemic disease; III severe but not incapacitating; IV severe, constant threat to life; V moribund; VI brain-dead donor; add 'E' for emergency procedures.

Key points

• ASA class correlates with perioperative risk but is not the sole determinant — surgery type, anesthesia, and urgency also matter (original synthesis · not guideline verbatim).
• Assignment carries inter-rater subjectivity, especially for class II vs III.
• The 'E' modifier captures the added risk of emergency surgery independent of the underlying class.

References

• ASA Physical Status Classification System.
• Mayhew D, et al. ASA physical status review. Anaesthesia 2019.

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