---
name: plastic-surgery-assessment
description: Use when asked to administer, score, or explain a Plastic Surgery Assessment — reconstructive/aesthetic surgery candidacy using ASA Physical Status, wound classification, and surgical complexity scoring — grounded in FormExamples/form-examples.
---

# Plastic Surgery Assessment

Plastic surgery assessment evaluating reconstructive and aesthetic
surgery candidates using ASA Physical Status Classification (I–V),
wound classification, and surgical complexity scoring.

## Scoring

**Instruments:** ASA Physical Status (I–V), Wound Classification
(I–IV), Surgical Complexity (1–4).

- **Wound Class I (Clean)** — uninfected operative wound; **II
  (Clean-Contaminated)** — controlled contamination; **III
  (Contaminated)** — open, fresh accidental wounds; **IV (Dirty)** —
  old traumatic wounds with clinical infection.
- **Risk levels:** Low (minor procedure, ASA I–II), Moderate
  (intermediate procedure, controlled comorbidities), High (major
  reconstruction, ASA III), Critical (emergency reconstruction, ASA
  IV–V, significant tissue loss).

## What it covers

Demographics; reason for referral; medical and surgical history;
current condition assessment; wound and tissue assessment;
psychological assessment; anaesthetic risk assessment; photography and
documentation; current medications and allergies; and procedure
planning with consent.

## Common pitfalls

- **Assessing aesthetic candidates with the same weight on wound
  classification as reconstructive/trauma candidates** — wound
  classification is central for reconstructive and trauma cases but
  largely inapplicable to elective aesthetic procedures on intact skin;
  apply the relevant instruments to the actual case type.
- **Skipping psychological assessment for aesthetic procedures** —
  realistic expectation-setting and screening for body dysmorphic
  concerns matters specifically for elective aesthetic surgery, not
  just reconstructive cases.
- **Underweighting anaesthetic risk for a "minor" procedure
  classification** — surgical complexity and anaesthetic risk don't
  always move together; a technically minor procedure in a patient with
  significant comorbidities can still carry meaningful anaesthetic risk.

## Learn more

- [FormExamples: plastic-surgery-assessment](https://github.com/FormExamples/form-examples/tree/main/forms/plastic-surgery-assessment) for the full implementation, clinical references, and worked examples.
- [[pre-operative-assessment-by-clinician]] for the general pre-operative anaesthetic assessment this often accompanies.