title: The pre-operative ECG in day surgery: a habit?
abstract: As the population presenting for day-case surgery and anaesthesia increases, so does the challenge of adequate pre-operative assessment. Although an electrocardiogram is frequently performed, its value in day-case surgery remains unproven. One thousand, one hundred and eighty-five patients presenting for day-case surgery were assessed. One hundred and fifty-four (13%) were referred for electrocardiogram according to well-recognised criteria for the prediction of coronary artery disease. They were read independently by the anaesthetist responsible for the case and by an experienced cardiologist. A significant abnormality was noted in 26% of electrocardiograms, most frequently in patients referred with hypertension. There was a good correlation between the reports of the anaesthetist and cardiologist. Only 20% of those patients with an abnormal electrocardiogram had their surgery postponed. No adverse events occurred in patients proceeding to surgery despite the abnormalities. We conclude that a resting electrocardiogram is of limited value in risk stratification of patients undergoing day-case surgery.
authors.affiliation: Specialist Registrar in Anaesthesia; Department of Anaesthetics, Glasgow Royal Infirmary NHS Trust, 82-84 Castle Street, Glasgow G4 0SF, UK.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McIntyre
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hosie
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D000075202:Contraindications; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D016037:Single-Blind Method