Perioperative cardiovascular morbidity in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing vascular surgery after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

OBJECTIVE

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who undergo noncardiac surgery are at increased risk for perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI). Undergoing successful coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) before such surgery has been shown to decrease perioperative cardiac morbidity and mortality. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is an alternative treatment for these patients. Perioperative cardiac morbidity in patients with CAD who underwent PTCA before their vascular surgery was reviewed.

SETTING

A tertiary care referral center for patients with cardiovascular heart disease.

PARTICIPANTS

Review of vascular surgery database for patients who underwent vascular surgery preceded by PTCA between 1984 and 1995. Patients were excluded if they had a history of CABG within 2 years of surgery, had PTCA more than 18 months before surgery, or had incomplete data.

MEASUREMENTS

Data were collected concerning cardiac history, left ventricular (LV) function, perioperative cardiac morbidity (angina, MI, congestive heart failure [CHF], and arrhythmias).

MAIN RESULTS

Of 194 patients who underwent aortic abdominal surgery, carotid endarterectomy (CEA), or peripheral vascular surgery preceded by PTCA, 104 (54%) had a previous MI. Twenty-six patients (13.4%) had perioperative cardiac morbidity. Only one patient had an MI (0.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0 to 2.8), whereas one patient died of CHF followed by multisystem organ failure (0.5%). The median interval between PTCA and surgery was 11 days (interquartile range, [IQR] 3 to 49 days). Patients who developed perioperative cardiac morbidity were older than those who did not (p = 0.02). Patients who had a history of CABG (before PTCA) had a higher incidence of postoperative angina (p = 0.04). The degree of preoperative LV dysfunction was linearly related to the incidence of new postoperative CHF (p = 0.01). Arrhythmias were more common in patients undergoing abdominal vascular surgery (17.9%) than in those undergoing CEA (2.5%; p = 0.03) or peripheral vascular surgery (5.2%; p = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

High-risk cardiac patients undergoing vascular surgery who have had PTCA performed up to 18 months preoperatively have a low incidence of perioperative cardiac morbidity. Prophylactic PTCA may be beneficial in patients with CAD who are at high risk for perioperative cardiac complications.