Which ASA grade is a patient who is completely symptom- and disease-free classified as?

• A. II or 2
• B. III or 3
• C. IV or 4
• D. V or 5

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is how the ASA physical status classification grades perioperative risk based on systemic health. The healthiest category is for a patient who has no systemic disease and no functional limitations—that’s ASA I. A person who is completely symptom-free and disease-free has no internal health problems that could affect anesthesia or surgery, so they fit ASA I.

If someone has mild systemic disease or risk factors but remains well enough to carry on daily activities, that’s ASA II. More serious disease with some functional limitation moves you to ASA III, and severe, life-threatening disease to ASA IV, with ASA V reserved for moribund patients not expected to survive without the operation.