Myocardial ischemia--association with perioperative cardiac morbidity

The development of ambulatory electrocardiographic recorders and analysers and the application of transesophageal echocardiography in the mid-1980's enabled investigators to quantify and describe the occurrence of silent as well as symptomatic ischemia in the perioperative period. Several technical advances which have recently occurred in ECG monitoring include the use of miniaturized digital computing equipment to store and analyze data. In addition, real time ST-segment analysis has become widely available on multicomponent monitors in both the operating room and intensive care units. The incidence of perioperative myocardial ischemia depends on the patient population, the surgical procedure, and the monitoring technique used. Several studies in the early 1990's have shown that cardiac morbidity in patients undergoing major, noncardiac surgery is best predicted by postoperative myocardial ischemia, rather than tradition preoperative clinical predictors. Long duration postoperative ischemia may be the factor most significantly associated with adverse cardiac outcome. Postoperative pain, physiological and emotional stress may all combine to cause tachycardia, hypertension, increase in cardiac output, and fluid shifts which, in high risk patients, might result in subendocardial ischemia and eventual myocardial infarction. If postoperative myocardial ischemia is the cause of late postoperative myocardial infarction in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery, then treatment of postoperative myocardial ischemia should reduce morbidity. In addition, reducing pain and stress and avoiding postoperative hypoxemia might prevent postoperative myocardial ischemia and minimize the need for extensive preoperative cardiac evaluation.