Background: The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS) classification system is widely used to classify patient comorbidities prior to surgery and is often used as a marker of perioperative risk. Since its inception in 1941, it has undergone modifications to adapt to changing clinical needs and to improve its reliability. In 2020, a version of the ASA-PS was released with pediatric-specific case examples.
Aim: To explore inter-rater reliability in ASA-PS scoring in the pediatric population.
Methods: This single-center retrospective study evaluated the assigned ASA-PS scores of 364 patients at a quaternary pediatric hospital. Each patient was assigned three ASA-PS scores-one by the case anesthetist and one each by two independent consultant anesthetists using the ASA guidance issued in 2020. Concordance was measured between the assigned scores, and potential reasons for discordant scores were identified.
Results: There was strong concordance of ASA-PS scores between the two independently scoring anesthetists (weighted kappa coefficient 0.76), but only moderate concordance between the case anesthetist and the independent anesthetists (weighted kappa coefficient 0.5). Where there was a discrepancy, the case anesthetist had usually underscored the ASA-PS by 1 point. Patients who had symptomatic cardiac disease, abnormal body mass index for age, an oncologic state, brain malformation, or a difficult airway were more likely to be assigned an incorrect ASA-PS score.
Conclusions: Moderate inter-rater variability exists in the assignment of ASA-PS scores in the pediatric population, and many patients are being underscored. Use of ASA guidance to assist with pediatric ASA-PS scoring improves the reliability of scoring and may improve accurate communication of perioperative risk.
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