Pre-op cardiac risk assessment : No worries . . . Dr.Hippocrates is on call !

Pre-op cardiac evaluation prior to non cardiac surgery is an important area for cardiology consultation . Unlike other clinical consults this one primarily involves in the delicate and tricky job of  predicting  future events  ! Peri-operative  cardiac evaluation  is done for what ? 1.To evaluate and assess established CAD or other heart disease and get a proper pre-operative work up , drug adjustment and risk reduction for a possible peri-operative event. 2.To screen for any significant CAD or other heart diseases which is hiding and asymptomatic. 3.To   treat those conditions that are detected prior to surgery .(Or simply assess & mark the risk and send them for surgery) 4.Finally and most importantly it is  often done as a routine “legal point of view”  or ” perceived  anxiety “as litigation for missed cardiac condition  looms large on the surgeon ! Risk stratifying established heart disease is relatively easy task as we know what we are talking about .The term “cardiac fitness” is used in some institution which should  probably be discouraged .No patient’s  cardiovascular system is deemed to be fit or unfit at any point of time.It all goes with the nature  and  aim of surgery .An apparently  fit person can develop more complications than a potential unfit  person as cardiac events are dynamic and directly influenced by the stress of surgery . It’s about the probability of occurring possible events , and ...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: perioperative risk assessment: Non cardiac surgery Preoperative evaluation acc aha guidelines peri operative pre operative risk fitness cardiac fitness prior to surgery peri operative cardiac risk assesment preop cardiac evaluation Source Type: blogs