09 Oct Patients With Coronary Stents: Adverse Cardiac Events Following Noncardiac Surgery
MedicalResearch.com Interview with
Dr. Mary T Hawn MD
Center for Surgical, Medical Acute Care Research and Transitions (C-SMART), Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital, Birmingham, Alabama
Section of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of Surgery
University of Alabama at Birmingham
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Hawn: The risk of adverse perioperative cardiac events is elevated in patients with recent coronary stenting, but the risk does not differ by stent type and stabilizes for surgery more than 6 months following stenting.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Hawn: Yes, we expected that patients with drug eluting stents would have more adverse events in the early post-stent period.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Hawn: It is likely safe to perform elective surgery six months after stent placement, but other cardiac risk factors should be assessed prior to making this determination.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Hawn: To define how much of the risk in the early period is attributable to stent related complications versus the patients underlying cardiac disease to further clarify when it is safe to operate on patients with stents.
Citation:
Last Updated on October 9, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD