ABSTRACT
Fitness for anaesthesia is a risk-benefit decision, taken by surgeon and anaesthetist. The anaesthetist may decide to anaesthetize a patient with a lifethreatening condition which can be treated only by surgery, when he would not anaesthetize such a patient for a non-life-threatening condition or he would delay surgery if not immediately life-threatening and the patient could be rendered fitter over a period of time. Honesty is all important in taking these decisions. The anaesthetist must respect the opinion of the surgeon as to what is urgent and the surgeon should attempt to be accurate in this. The anaesthetist must be accurate about the degree of risk.
