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American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Scale
Class I
Minimal Risk
Normal healthy animal, no underlying disease
Working Definition: "Young, healthy patient for elective procedure."
Class II Slight risk, minor disease present
Animal with slight to mild systemic disturbance, animal able to compensate
Examples: neonate or geriatric animals, obesity
Working Definition: "Healthy patient that needs a procedure."
Class III
Moderate risk, obvious disease present
Animal with moderate systemic disease or disturbances
Examples: anemia, moderate dehydration, fever, low-grade heart murmur or cardiac disease, emaciation
Working Definition: "Systemic disease complicates anesthesia."
Class IV
High risk, significantly compromised by disease
Animals with preexisting systemic disease or disturbances of a severe nature
Examples: severe dehydration, shock, uremia, toxemia, high fever, uncompensated heart disease, uncompensated diabetes, pulmonary disease
Working Definition: "Systemic disease jeopardizes anesthesia."
Class V
Extreme risk, moribund
Surgery often performed in desperation on animal with life threatening systemic disease
Examples: advanced systemic disease or condition (e.g. cardiac failure, renal failure, hepatic failure, cerebral insult, end stage endocrine disease, etc), uncompensated shock, severe trauma, terminal malignancy or infection that is a constant threat to life
Working definition: "Patient will likely die with or without the procedure"
"E" denotes emergency and can be assigned to any class
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