title: Does the clinical evaluation of the cardiac status predict outcome in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms?
abstract: A cost-effective method to reduce mortality rates after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair centers on selecting and investigating only those patients at risk for cardiac-related death. All 146 patients undergoing asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm repair over a 5-year period (1986 to 1990) were retrospectively placed into one of the three following groups on the basis of a clinical evaluation. Group I: no history of myocardial infarction or angina, no congestive heart failure, and no ischemic changes on electrocardiogram (ECG). Group II: history of myocardial infarction or class I-II angina or ischemic changes on ECG. Group III: presence of congestive heart failure or class III-IV angina. Patients in group I had no further cardiac work-up; patients in group II with angina had left ventricular ejection fraction assessment by multiple gated acquisition (all greater than 37%) and were cleared for operation by a cardiologist; patients in group II without angina had no further cardiac work-up; patients in group III had coronary angiography and then coronary revascularization. The overall mortality rate was 4.8%, with a cardiac mortality rate of 3.4%. The mortality rate in group I (n = 64) was 1.8%, with no cardiac-related deaths; the mortality rate in group II (n = 63) was 9.5% (8% cardiac-related deaths). No deaths occurred in group III (n = 19). The difference between the cardiac mortality rates in groups I and II was significant (p = 0.02) as was the postoperative cardiac morbidity: total myocardial infarctions (p less than 0.001); congestive heart failure (p = 0.02); tachyarrhythmias (p = 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lachapelle
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Symes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000150:complications; D016896:Treatment Outcome