The pre-operative ECG in day surgery: a habit?

✍ Scribed by Murdoch; Murdoch; McIntyre; Hosie; Clark

• Book ID: 104456086
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 193 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-2409
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2044.1999.00995.x

✦ Synopsis

As the population presenting for day‐case surgery and anaesthesia increases, so does the challenge of adequate pre‐operative assessment. Although an electrocardiogram is frequently performed, its value in day‐case surgery remains unproven. One thousand, one hundred and eighty‐five patients presenting for day‐case surgery were assessed. One hundred and fifty‐four (13%) were referred for electrocardiogram according to well‐recognised criteria for the prediction of coronary artery disease. They were read independently by the anaesthetist responsible for the case and by an experienced cardiologist. A significant abnormality was noted in 26% of electrocardiograms, most frequently in patients referred with hypertension. There was a good correlation between the reports of the anaesthetist and cardiologist. Only 20% of those patients with an abnormal electrocardiogram had their surgery postponed. No adverse events occurred in patients proceeding to surgery despite the abnormalities. We conclude that a resting electrocardiogram is of limited value in risk stratification of patients undergoing day‐case surgery.