Cardiac Issues With Noncardiac Surgery

Joseph F. Winget, MD FACC

Clinical Assistant Professor

University of Vermont Medical School

Champlain Valley Cardiovascular Associates, P.C.

Objectives

• Preoperative risk assessment

• Anticoagulation and antithrombotic issues

• Postoperative Management

• Endocarditis prophylaxis

Disclosures

• None

Surgery or not?

• 87 year old white female with known critical AS fall and breaks her hip.

• No CHF, MI, syncope• Stable and relatively

independent before the fall.

• LVEF 65%

• 82 year old white male with known CAD. Stable angina pectoris.

• Catheterization shows occluded LAD which was fed by collaterals

• No CHF• AODM and HTN• Severe worsening spinal

stenosis and weakness• LVEF 50%

Preoperative cardiac issues

• How healthy is the patient?

• How active is the patient?

• How risky in the planned surgery?

• Is preoperative cardiac testing necessary?

• What preventive measures can be taken to reduce cardiac risk?

L’Italien JACC 1996;27:779

JACC 2002; 39:542

JACC 2002 39:542

Is testing predictive of outcomes?

Circ 1997; 95: 53

Cardiac event rates and dobutamine echocardiography

JAMA 2001; 285:1865

Who to test?

• Intermediate risk patients undergoing intermediate or high risk surgery

• Testing does not add additional information in low risk or high risk patient groups.

What test?

• Well validated– Exercise or

pharmacologic echocardiography

– Exercise or pharmacologic Cardiolite

• Not well validated– CTA– MRI– Cardiac angiography*

Therapies to reduce perioperative cardiac complications

• Revascularization– Percutaneous revascularization– CABG

• Medical therapy

Benefit of CABG

Circ 1997; 96: 1882

McFalls E et al. N Engl J Med 2004;351:2795-2804

Long-Term Survival among Patients Assigned to Undergo Coronary-Artery Revascularization or No Coronary-Artery Revascularization before Elective Major Vascular Surgery

McFalls E et al. N Engl J Med 2004;351:2795-2804

Long-Term Use of Medical Therapy in the Revascularization and No-Revascularization Groups at 24 Months after Randomization

Medical therapy to lower risk

Lindenauer, PK JAMA. 2004 May 5; 291(17)2092

Beta blocker use?

NEJM 1996; 335:1713

Beta blocker use?

Recommendations

• Revascularization for appropriate clinical indications

• Maximize adjuvant medical therapy– Aspirin– Statin– Beta blocker

• Close perioperative follow-up– Prolonged telemetry monitoring

Copyright ©2007 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Restrictions may apply.

Fleisher, L. A. et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;50:e159-e242

Cardiac evaluation and care algorithm for noncardiac surgery based on active clinical conditions, known cardiovascular disease, or cardiac risk factors for patients 50 years of

age or greater

Surgery or not?

• 87 year old white female with known critical AS fall and breaks her hip.

• No CHF, MI, syncope• Stable and relatively

independent before the fall.

• 82 year old white male with known CAD. Stable angina pectoris

• Catheterization shows occluded LAD which was fed by collaterals

• No CHF• AODM• Severe worsening spinal

stenosis and weakness

Cardiac Issues in noncardiac surgery

• Establish patient risk

• Assign procedural risk

• Test intermediate risk patients undergoing intermediate or high risk surgery

• Optimize medical therapy

• Revascularization when clinically indicated

• ACC/AHA Guidelines JACC 2007; 50: 1707-1732

Anticoagulation / Antiplatelet Agents

• 55 year old male s/p CABG in 2000. Drug eluting stent placed to native vessel in August of 2008.

• Needs colonoscopy • Can plavix and aspirin

be safely stopped?

• 70 year old white female with chronic AF needs shoulder surgery

• History of CVA• Warfarin 5 mg daily• Does the patient need

some form of bridging preoperatively?

Anticoagulation / Antithrombotic Issues

• Anticoagulants – warfarin– Atrial fibrillation– Venous thrombosis – Prosthetic heart valves

• Antithrombotic agents – clopidogrel– Bare metal stents vs. drug eluting stents

Do you need to stop antiplatelet / anticoagulation therapy?

• Procedural risk for bleeding– Low risk for bleeding

• Athrocentesis• Cataract surgery• Dental cleaning / extraction• Cutaneous surgery

CHADS score - AF

Circulation 2004; 110:2287 JAMA 2001; 285:2864

Atrial fibrillation

• Bridge– AF and prosthetic

valves– AF and significant LV

dysfunction (EF<40%)– AF and any prior

thrombotic event (CVA, TIA, arterial emboli)

– “high risk” patients

• No bridging– Low risk patients

How to bridge

• Stop warfarin for 48 hours

• Start lovenox at 1mg/kg SQ BID for 6 doses

• Stop lovenox the morning before surgery

Prosthetic heart valves

• Bioprosthetic valves– All, if in atrial fibrillation

• Mechanical valves– All, regardless of rhythm

Venous thrombosis

• Deep venous thrombosis

• Pulmonary emboli

• Hypercoagulable states– Factor V Leiden– Protein C / S deficiencies– Lupus anticoagulant

How to Bridge

• Stop warfarin

• Start replacement therapy once INR < 2.0– IV heparin– SQ low molecular weight heparin - lovenox

Coronary stents

Recommendations – stent patients

• Bare Metal Stents– Delay elective

procedures for at least 1 month and preferably 6 months

– Restart clopidogrel as soon as possible

– Loading dose?

• Drug eluting stents– Delay elective

procedures for 1 year– Continue aspirin– Restart clopidogrel as

soon possible– Loading dose?

Copyright ©2007 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Restrictions may apply.

Fleisher, L. A. et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007;50:e159-e242

Proposed approach to the management of patients with previous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who require noncardiac surgery, based on expert opinion

Improved cardiac care for noncardiac surgery?

Yes, we can!

Perioperative Medication Management

• Beta Blockers continue

• Alpha agonists continue

• Calcium blockers continue prn

• ACE / ARB stop preoperatively start when stable

• Statins continue

• Diuretics as needed

Endocarditis prophylaxis

• 70 year old female with rheumatic valvular heart disease and Bjork-Shiley MVR in 1984 needs dental work.

• Are antibiotics required?

SBE prophylaxis

• Antibiotics – All Prosthetic valves– Prior bacterial

endocarditis– Cyanotic congenital

heart disease (CHD)– Any repair CHD with

prosthetic material *

• No Antibiotics– Uncomplicated

valvular heart disease– Pacemakers or

defibrillators– Hypertrophic

cardiomyopathy

Circ 2007; 115