Cardiac complications in noncardiac surgery patients

Editor's Note

Cardiac complications are the leading cause of death within 30 days after noncardiac surgery.

This article reviews what is known about perioperative cardiac complications (ie, from induction of anesthesia to within 30 days after surgery), preoperative methods of predicting complications, perioperative cardiac interventions, and postoperative monitoring.

The researchers concluded that measurement of natriuretic peptide levels had substantial advantages over noninvasive cardiac testing (eg, stress echocardiography, stress nuclear scientigraphy, and cardiac CT angiography) as a means to enhance preoperative risk prediction.

Because most patients who have a postoperative myocardial infarction do not have symptoms, physicians should monitor troponin levels after surgery in patients with risk factors, the authors say.