Evaluation, severity and prognostic significance of silent myocardial ischaemia in vascular patients

This paper intends to make an update of recent publications and guidelines for evaluation in coronary symptom-free patients undergoing vascular surgery. It emphasizes the role of preoperative clinical evaluation that should identify the most appropriate testing, and treatment strategies to optimize care of the patient and avoid unnecessary testing in this era of cost containment. Selective preoperative coronary artery disease screening and revascularization achieve excellent perioperative and late results after high-risk vascular surgery. Supplemental preoperative evaluation is discussed (exercise ECG, stress echocardiography and stress tomoscintigraphy). Asymptomatic patients with good functional capacity can undergo intermediate-risk surgery without further non-invasive testing. Conversely, further noninvasive testing is often considered for patients with poor functional capacity or moderate functional capacity but higher-risk surgery especially for patients with 2 or more intermediate risk predictors. Additional testing may be considered on an individual basis for patients without clinical markers but with poor functional capacity prior to vascular surgery, particularly those with several minor clinical risk predictors. Because of a higher prevalence of silent myocardial ischaemia in diabetes mellitus, these patients require specific care. Until further data are available, indications for myocardial revascularization in the perioperative setting are similar to those in the ACC/AHA guidelines for use of myocardial revascularization in general. General practioners, cardiologists, angiologists, vascular surgeons and anaesthesiologists should collaborate and aim to slow down the progression of atherosclerosis by giving their patients an optimum secondary cardiovascular prevention.