According to a recent study, it may not be required to order specialized heart scans prior to major surgery to assess risks.
Researchers discovered that by examining prior chest scans taken months earlier during screening for lung problems like pneumonia or cancer, surgeons can instead determine patients’ risk of heart attack or death.
By doing so, radiation exposure could be decreased and operation delays and expenditures could be avoided.
In order to quantify the amounts of hardened fatty plaque deposits in the heart’s three major blood arteries, researchers from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City examined previously performed computed tomography (CT) scans.They discovered that patients who had more plaque buildup had a higher risk of having major health problems after surgery.
In a school news release, lead author and cardiology fellow Dr. Daniel Choi stated, “Our findings suggest that imaging already on hand might help clinicians make practical decisions about surgical risks, even if such tests may not be as exact as those created for this reason.
His team made use of information from 2,650 patients with a median age of 45. Between January 2016 and September 2020, each patient underwent non-heart-related surgery at NYU Langone hospitals.
The type of procedure, along with cases of death and heart attacks, were all included in this data.The three main coronary arteries were each given a score on a 3-point scale, according to the study. They would add up to a total between 0 and 9.
According to the study, patients with scores between 0 and 2 had a 4% or lower incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). The risk was 8% for those with scores of 3 to 5. A 13% risk applied to patients with scores between 6 and 9.
Dr. Robert Donnino, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine and radiology, is a co-senior author and a co-senior author of the study. “Our coronary calcium assessment is easy to use and requires minimal training, so it offers a cost-effective tool that can be implemented in any medical practice,” he said.
