A patient with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm requiring emergency repair. Which ASA designation with emergency should be used?

A patient with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm requiring emergency repair. Which ASA designation with emergency should be used?

• A. ASA V
• B. ASA V E
• C. ASA IV
• D. ASA III

Answer: (B)

Emergency status is added to the ASA designation with an E modifier. A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm that needs immediate repair puts the patient in a moribund state who would not likely survive without the operation, so the underlying status is ASA V. With the emergency modifier, the correct designation is ASA V E. The other options describe less severe disease and omit the urgent nature of the situation, which underestimates the perioperative risk.

Emergency status is added to the ASA designation with an E modifier. A ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm that needs immediate repair puts the patient in a moribund state who would not likely survive without the operation, so the underlying status is ASA V. With the emergency modifier, the correct designation is ASA V E. The other options describe less severe disease and omit the urgent nature of the situation, which underestimates the perioperative risk.