Table 1.

Systemic preoperative assessment of the rheumatoid patient

History	Examination	Investigations
Disease onset	Complete medical	Full blood count
Pattern and sequence	Joint inflammation	Urea & creatinine
Presences and persistent joint swelling	Joint damage and range of motion	Electrolytes
Pain (site, severity, duration)	Soft tissue integrity	Liver function tests
Morning stiffness	Extra-articular features	Chest radiograph
Functional limitations	Grip strength	Cervical spine radiograph
Non-articular features	General health	Electrocardiogram
Psychological features	Dental inspection	Urine dipstick +/− culture
Systemic features	Neurological assessment	Pulmonary function tests
Review of all systems		Echocardiogram (limiting cardiac pathology)
Prior anaesthetic and surgery
Drugs and allergies		Airway assessment