Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2024 Jul;133(1):7-10.
doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.04.012. Epub 2024 May 22.

Identifying the blue patient: preoperative screening for depression

Bradley A Fritz  1 , Katherine J Holzer  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Identifying the blue patient: preoperative screening for depression

Bradley A Fritz et al. Br J Anaesth. 2024 Jul.

Abstract

Preoperative depression is an underappreciated comorbidity that has important implications for postoperative outcomes. Screening for symptoms of depression before surgery can identify patients with or without a previous diagnosis of depression who could benefit from perioperative interventions to improve mood. Preoperative screening programmes are feasible to implement, although care must be taken to ensure that patients who are most likely to benefit are included.

Keywords: depression; mental health; mood; preoperative assessment; screening.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment on

  • doi: 10.1016/j.bja.2024.04.017

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Committee on Standards and Practice Parameters. Apfelbaum J.L., Connis R.T., et al. Practice advisory for preanesthesia evaluation: an updated report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Preanesthesia Evaluation. Anesthesiology. 2012;116:522–538. - PubMed
    1. Horne D., Kehler S., Kaoukis G., et al. Depression before and after cardiac surgery: do all patients respond the same? J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2013;145:1400–1406. - PubMed
    1. Theunissen M., Peters M.L., Schepers J., Schoot D.C., Gramke H.-F., Marcus M.A. Prevalence and predictors of depression and well-being after hysterectomy: an observational study. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2017;217:94–100. - PubMed
    1. Hellstadius Y., Lagergren J., Zylstra J., et al. Prevalence and predictors of anxiety and depression among esophageal cancer patients prior to surgery. Dis Esophagus. 2017;30:1–7. - PubMed
    1. Caspi-Avissar N., Grosman-Rimon L., Gohari J., et al. Clinical, surgical, and sociopsychological factors and depression after cardiothoracic surgery. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021;111:1064–1070. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms