Cardiological risk in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. An analysis of 523 cases.

The paper reports a consecutive series of 523 patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery, paying particular attention to the cardiological risk factor. Coronary disease was present in 167 (31.9%) cases and the overall mortality rate was 1.7%: 5 cases (3%) in the group of coronary disease patients; 4 cases (1.2%) in the group of noncoronary disease patients. All fatal cardiac complications during the postoperative period occurred in those patients who presented coronary cardiopathies before surgery. The preoperative cardiological risk was therefore much greater and more significant in this group of patients. This risk factor should therefore be assessed prior to the operation in order to prepare the necessary medical or even surgical therapeutic measures.