Table 1.

Preoperative investigations for patients with malaria

Preoperative investigation	Explanation
Full blood count	Examine degree of anaemia and thrombocytopenia
Blood film	Diagnose type of malaria and level of parasitaemia
Urea and creatinine	Assessment of renal function
Electrolytes	Hyponatraemia and hyperkalaemia may be present
Liver function tests	Assessment of liver impairment
Coagulation studies	May reveal evidence of dissemination intravascular coagulation and assess hepatic synthetic function
Blood glucose	Hypoglycaemia may be a feature of malaria, and may also be caused by quinine therapy
Arterial blood gas	Acidosis (base deficit >8 mEq litre−1) or hyperlactataemia (≥5 mmol litre−1) are features of severe malaria Hypoxia from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Chest X-ray	May reveal pulmonary oedema or ARDS in severe malaria
ECG	Quinine may prolong QT interval