Which test is NOT routinely indicated for a healthy patient undergoing minor surgery?

• A. Electrocardiography (ECG)
• B. Focused history and physical examination
• C. Targeted laboratory testing if comorbidities exist
• D. None of the above

Answer: (A)

In healthy patients undergoing minor surgery, doing an ECG as a routine preoperative test usually doesn’t add value. The likelihood that a first-time, healthy person has clinically meaningful, previously undetected heart disease is very low, so an ECG is unlikely to change perioperative management. Moreover, routine ECG screening can lead to incidental findings or false positives that trigger unnecessary tests, delays, anxiety, and added costs without improving outcomes.

The emphasis in preoperative assessment should be on a focused history and physical examination to identify any cardiac symptoms (like chest pain, dyspnea, syncope) or risk factors that would raise concern. If such concerns exist or if a patient has known comorbidities, targeted laboratory testing or investigations can be pursued to help plan care. For a healthy individual with no symptoms or risk factors, routine ECG and broad screening tests are not indicated, making the ECG the best choice among the options for what is not routinely indicated.