The preoperative cardiology consultation: goal settings and great expectations

Abstract

Background Despite the availablity of guidelines for preoperative cardiology consultations, their efficacy in real clinical practice remains unknown. Furthermore, there are concerns that overused cardiology consultations can lead to unnecessary investigations, prolonged hospital stays, and even cancellation of necessary surgery. In this retrospective study, we investigated: (i) the potential impact of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology algorithm and (ii) the potential of this algorithm for preventing unnecessary evaluation.