title: EuroSCORE: useful in directing preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump placement in cardiac surgery?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The placement of preoperative intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) in high-risk patients has been described, although controversy remains regarding the appropriate selection of these patients. The EuroSCORE is a proven predictor of operative mortality for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Our objective was to assess whether patients with a preoperative IABP had a 30-day mortality consistent with their predicted mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-sis patients who had had an IABP sited while undergoing CABG were retrospectively identified. The additive EuroSCORE was calculated with omission of the IABP preoperative placement score of 3 points. Patients with a EuroSCORE <5 were considered low risk, and those > or = m5 as high risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High-risk patients with preoperative IABP placement had a significantly lower mortality (1/16, 6.25%) than predicted. The predicted versus actual mortality was 12.6% versus 6.25%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Correct identification of appropriate patients who would benefit from pre-emptive placement of IABP could potentially be performed using the EuroSCORE.
authors.affiliation: Prof. Eoin O'Malley National Centre for Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. cardiothoracic@eircom.net
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: Devendran
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veerasingam
authors.forename: Alfred E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007423:Intra-Aortic Balloon Pumping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment