Surgery in patients with coronary artery disease--silent ischaemia during transurethral resection of tumors of prostate or bladder.
BACKGROUND
Asymptomatic episodes of myocardial ischemia in clinically stable patients seem to occur frequently and may hint at a worse prognosis.


OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to determine whether surgical patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have a higher risk of cardiac ischemia during the perioperative period compared with the late postoperative period and compared with patients without CAD.


METHODS
In all, 14 patients with and 14 patients without CAD were examined by Holter monitoring during the perioperative and three days later during the postoperative periods for the presence of ST-segment depression as a marker of silent myocardial ischemia.


RESULTS
While patients without CAD did not show ST-segment depression, patients with CAD were found to have had 143 episodes of ST-segment depression, 49% in the perioperative and 51% in postoperative recordings.


CONCLUSIONS
Though patients were asymptomatic with antianginal therapy, there were episodes of ST-segment depression indicating silent myocardial ischemia in patients with CAD. Surgical interventions such as transurethral resection of tumors of prostate or bladder did not produce an increase of ischemic burden registered by Holter monitoring.
Wacker
P
P
Medical Clinic Köln-Holweide, Cologne, Germany.
Saborowski
F
F
Assenmacher
M
M
Dieterich
H A
HA
D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D015653:Cystectomy / Q000379:methods; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*