Which ASA category indicates high risk due to severe systemic disease?

• A. I.
• B. II.
• C. IV.
• D. III.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is the ASA physical status classification, which levels preoperative risk based on how the patient’s systemic disease affects their health. A patient with severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life is categorized as having ASA IV. This reflects a high, ongoing risk to stability during anesthesia and surgery, not just mild or intermittent problems. Examples include decompensated heart failure, unstable angina, severe COPD with respiratory failure, sepsis, or other serious organ failure where the condition could immediately jeopardize life. The other categories describe progressively less threatening or more manageable conditions, so ASA IV is the one that best fits “high risk due to severe systemic disease.”