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Published on: May 21, 2017
Aortic stenosis and perioperative risk with noncardiac surgery
Padmaraj Samarendra1, Michael P Mangione2
1Non-Invasive Cardiology and Echocardiography Laboratory, VA Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Insights
Aortic stenosis (AS) poses cardiac risks during noncardiac surgery. Current guidelines may overemphasize risk, as newer data suggest a less critical role for AS in surgical outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Aortic stenosis (AS) is a significant risk factor for cardiac complications during noncardiac surgery.
- Current guidelines define severe AS using specific echocardiographic parameters, labeling patients as high-risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically analyze the perioperative risk associated with aortic stenosis during noncardiac surgery.
- To evaluate the consistency of current AS assessment criteria and their clinical significance.
Main Methods:
- Review and critical analysis of existing literature, comparing older studies with recent data.
- Evaluation of advancements in echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, anesthetic techniques, surgical procedures, and postoperative care.
Main Results:
- The significance of aortic stenosis in noncardiac surgery may be overemphasized in older studies.
- Recent advancements have improved the assessment and management of patients with AS undergoing noncardiac surgery.
Conclusions:
- Perioperative risk in AS patients depends on stenosis severity, clinical status, and surgical complexity.
- The interpretation of AS risk in noncardiac surgery requires re-evaluation in light of modern medical advancements.
Abstract:
Aortic stenosis (AS) is characterized as a high-risk index for cardiac complications during noncardiac surgery. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines define severe AS as aortic valve area ≤1 cm(2), mean gradient of ≥40 mm Hg, and peak velocity of ≥4 m/s. As per current clinical practice, any of these characteristic features label a patient as at high risk for noncardiac surgery. However, these parameters appear inconsistent, particularly with respect to the aortic valve area cutoff value. The perioperative risk associated with AS during noncardiac surgery depends upon its severity (moderate vs. severe), clinical status, and the complexity of the surgical procedure (low to intermediate risk vs. high risk). A critical analysis of old and new data from published studies indicates that the significance of the presence of AS in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery is overemphasized in studies that predate the more recent advances in echocardiography and cardiac catheterization in assessment of aortic stenosis, anesthetic and surgical techniques, as well as post-operative patient care.
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