Importance of cardiovascular interventions before surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysms

Preoperative screening, and interventional and surgical therapy of cardiovascular diseases are of pivotal importance for successful outcome after abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. In a retrospective study, all patients who underwent surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm were reevaluated by preoperative diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for cardiovascular disease. Two study periods (1980-1989 and 1990-1996) were compared. Of 603 patients operated upon for abdominal aortic aneurysm between 1980 and 1996, 449 had surgery on an elective basis and 154 as an emergency. Preoperative diagnostic studies for coronary artery disease were performed on elective patients and were positive in 76.8% (1980-1989, 76.1%, 1990-1996, 77.5%). Coronary angiography was performed in 108 patients (29.6%). Medical therapy of coronary artery disease declined by 2.3%, and interventional procedures by 18.8%. In contrast, myocardial revascularization with subsequent aneurysm resection increased by 26.6% and 12 patients (16%) required urgent simultaneous cardiac and aortic surgery. Early mortality after abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery decreased from 4.2 to 2.9%, and the frequency of primary cardiac failure as the cause of death was reduced from 33.3 to 22.2% (P < 0.05). It was concluded that 42.6% more cardiac surgical procedures were performed before abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery since 1990 compared with the period 1980-1989. In contrast, the number of interventional procedures fell by 18.8%. Surgical therapy of cardiac disease reduces early mortality after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery.