The part where I acknowledged that some people are horrifically ill? The American Society of Anesthesiologists has a Physical Status that is part of every pre-

The part where I acknowledged that some people are horrifically ill? The American Society of Anesthesiologists has a Physical Status that is part of every pre-op examination we do. ASA 1: a normal healthy patient. (You almost never see these.) ASA 2: A patient with mild systemic disease. ASA 3: A patient with severe systemic disease. Subtext of the definition of this class notes that it causes some impairment of function. This is our most common class. ASA 4: A patient with severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life. ASA 5: A moribund patient who is not expected to survive without the operation. ASA 6: A declared brain-dead patient whose organs are being removed for donor purposes. There's a bit of personal style in there - my 4 might be someone else's 3 - but it's a shorthand way of saying "they're very sick". A 5 is someone who is actively trying to die.