Pre-Operative Assessment of Patients Undergoing Spinal Cord Stimulation for Refractory Angina Pectoris

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Cardiology
• Pain Management

Background:

• Refractory angina pectoris is a debilitating chronic pain condition.
• Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an established treatment for various chronic pain conditions.
• Patients with refractory angina often have significant cardiovascular comorbidities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the pre-operative characteristics of patients undergoing SCS for refractory angina.
• To highlight unique considerations for SCS in this patient population.
• To emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary care and baseline data collection.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 31 patients who underwent SCS for refractory angina from 2003-2018.
• Analysis of patient demographics, prior cardiac interventions, and current medications.
• Focus on pre-operative evaluation protocols.

Main Results:

• The study included 31 patients (16 male, 15 female, average age 53.9 years).
• All patients had prior coronary angiograms; many had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting.
• Most patients were on anti-angina medications and antiplatelet/anticoagulant agents.

Conclusions:

• SCS implantation for refractory angina requires careful multidisciplinary evaluation.
• Thorough pre-operative assessment is essential due to cardiovascular comorbidities.
• Establishing baseline data is critical for evaluating SCS treatment success.