Researchers explore impact of asymptomatic LV dysfunction in vascular surgery patients

May 25 2010

Symptomatic heart failure prior to surgery is routinely acknowledged as a risk factor for adverse outcomes for both cardiac and non-cardiac surgeries. In a new study published in the June Anesthesiology, researchers delve further into the implications of cardiac problems on postoperative outcomes, exploring preoperative diagnosis and impact of asymptomatic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in vascular surgery patients.

Asymtomatic LV dysfunction is considered a precursor to symptomatic heart failure, a condition researchers from the Department of Anesthesiology at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, recognize as a well established risk factor for postoperative cardiac events.

"We conducted the present study to evaluate the impact of asymptomatic systolic and/or diastolic LV dysfunction on outcomes following surgery," said study investigator Don Poldermans, M.D., Ph.D. of the Department of Anesthesiology at Erasmus Medical Center. "LV dysfunction is frequently present, and mostly asymptomatic. If it is proven that asymptomatic dysfunction is involved in adverse cardiac outcomes, proper perioperative care and therapy can be initiated to prevent worsening of heart failure during surgery."

SOURCE American Society of Anesthesiologists