Management of acute myocardial infarction in the postanesthesia care unit

Surgery and anesthesia can compromise the delicate homeostasis between myocardial oxygen supply and demand in the patient with preexisting cardiac disease. This article identifies those patients at risk for developing a myocardial infarction. It also focuses on patient care assessment of the patient with chest pain in the PACU, and the implementation measures to manage chest pain and limit infarction size.