The purpose of Medical Perioperative Management, as stated by the editor, is to provide
a practical, portable guide to perioperative medical assessment and management of the surgical patient. Written by internists and specialists in internal medicine, it is intended to be a convenient quick reference for consulting internists... house officers, medical students, surgeons, and anesthesiologists.
To this end, basic material is provided for the reader. Information needed by the practicing surgeon regarding perioperative care of medical illnesses of the critically ill surgical patient is not within the scope of this text.
Medical Perioperative Management sets up a framework for medical consultant–surgeon interaction. The definition of a consultation is "a deliberation by two or more physicians with respect to the diagnosis or treatment in any particular case" (Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 25th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Co; 1974:354.) While most consultations are helpful, it is the task of the patient's