Cardiac Risk Stratification

Perioperative cardiovascular complications pose serious risk, especially to patients with pre-existing cardiac disease. The degree of risk varies widely depending on the patient’s medical comorbidities and type of surgery. A careful medical evaluation before surgery can help inform a discussion of risk for patients and providers and suggest management strategies to mitigate risk. Guidelines from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and European Societies of Cardiology and Anaesthesiology (ESC/ESA) provide an evidence-based approach to perioperative cardiovascular risk stratification and testing.