preoperative
adjective
pre·op·er·a·tive (ˌ)prē-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv 
-pə-ˌrā-
1
: occurring before a surgical operation
preoperative care
2
: having not yet undergone a surgical operation
preoperatively adverb
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Among them are newborn preoperative patients and children after cardiac surgery, many of whom are in serious condition. 
Time, 28 Feb. 2022 In the March case, records cited by the board said the patient had major abdominal and back surgery — and the preoperative forms don't document consent or notice. Brian Witte, ajc, 29 Oct. 2021 Each morning, the Falahs set out for the dizzying array of preoperative tests at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Lynda Schuster, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2021 The hours involved in medically optimizing a patient and planning postoperative care shifted from the inpatient admission to the preoperative period, where none of these efforts are financially captured. Prem Ramkumar, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2021 The error occurred after a hospital worker mistakenly put a preoperative mark on the wrong leg, the hospital said. Rob Picheta, CNN, 21 May 2021 Twenty small rooms for preoperative patients are being readied for coronavirus care, as is space that had been occupied by physical rehabilitation equipment and offices. Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Apr. 2020 Giulianotti greeted the support team and took me over to a monitor, to look at a preoperative black-and-white scan of the patient’s innards. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2019 Difficulties with billing Medicare for preoperative consultations and restructuring how physicians practice are the biggest challenges to implementing this kind of model widely. Judith Graham, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2018 See More
Time, 28 Feb. 2022 In the March case, records cited by the board said the patient had major abdominal and back surgery — and the preoperative forms don't document consent or notice. Brian Witte, ajc, 29 Oct. 2021 Each morning, the Falahs set out for the dizzying array of preoperative tests at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Lynda Schuster, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2021 The hours involved in medically optimizing a patient and planning postoperative care shifted from the inpatient admission to the preoperative period, where none of these efforts are financially captured. Prem Ramkumar, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2021 The error occurred after a hospital worker mistakenly put a preoperative mark on the wrong leg, the hospital said. Rob Picheta, CNN, 21 May 2021 Twenty small rooms for preoperative patients are being readied for coronavirus care, as is space that had been occupied by physical rehabilitation equipment and offices. Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Apr. 2020 Giulianotti greeted the support team and took me over to a monitor, to look at a preoperative black-and-white scan of the patient’s innards. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2019 Difficulties with billing Medicare for preoperative consultations and restructuring how physicians practice are the biggest challenges to implementing this kind of model widely. Judith Graham, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2018 See More Word History
First Known Use
1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
preoperative
adjective
pre·op·er·a·tive (ˈ)prē-ˈäp-(ə-)rət-iv, -ˈäp-ə-ˌrāt-
1
: occurring, performed, or administered before and usually close to a surgical operation
preoperative care
preoperative medication
2
: having not yet undergone a surgical operation
preoperative patients