“Is there a possibility of a patient suffering a heart attack during a vascular surgery?”
My father is supposed to undergo vascular surgery, but he is 67 years old. Is it possible for him to suffer a heart attack while under surgery? His surgeons have tried to reassure us, but I can't help but think of the possibility. What are the odds that this could happen?
14 Answers
Yes
Dr. Rajesh Malik
Vascular Surgeon
There is a very, very small risk of having a heart attack, but it also depends on the procedure performed. In my 8,000 or so operations I've had, maybe only a handful have a heart attack and maybe 1-2 that were fatal. In the last 4-5 years I cannot recall anyone having a major heart attack in an elective operation.
Good luck.
Good luck.
One of the important elements of work-up is evaluating the status of your heart. A cardiologist may be involved. The risk of a heart attack depends on the kind of surgery and risk factors present. Generally speaking, they are low.
Depending on what kind of vascular surgery, the patient will need a preoperative cardiac risk assessment. If the assessment is negative, the risk of cardiac event is minimal. Minor surgeries does not require preoperative testing, major vascular surgeries will require preoperative testing.
Yes absolutely there is But how high a risk can be assessed by his primary care doctor
One of the most common complications from vascular surgery is a heart attack. The risk is low but significant. If your father has PAD that he should be evaluated for the presence of coronary artery disease. This helps to "risk stratify" his condition. Although not absolutely necessary, it is my practice to always have these patients evaluated or at least be re-seen by the cardiologist before performing an open operation. If they are considered high risk than I also have this done before the performing an endovascular, minimally invasive, procedure.
If he does not have previous cardiac condition the risk is less than 1 percent.
Yes, blood vessels in the heart have the same pathology as those operated on by vascular surgeons. If the operating surgeon says the risk is low, then I would go with that, however, you can request a second opinion or clearance from a cardiologist. It all depends on what underlying conditions the patient has, diabetes, hypertension, etc.
Short answer is yes but we try to take all precautions and do all the preoperative work up to make sure there are no cardiac issues during vascular procedures. In general endovascular procedures are very safe and open vascular procedures also fare well as long as the blood loss is controlled.
Yes, even in the best hands, and under perfect conditions, the stress of a major surgery such as a vascular surgery procedure carries a risk of heart problems or a heart attack. We try to optimize patients prior to surgery to ensure their safety, but patients undergoing major vascular surgical procedures carry a small risk. The risk is increased if there is existing heart problems, or if there are intraoperative complications.
It is uncommon but your father need a cardiac clearance before the propose surgery
Chance of that is very rare
I’m general, the risk of death is around 2-3%. Much more risk for open thoracic aortic surgery. Less for dialysis access surgery. The age of the patient and their medical history are most important. Current heart failure or angina are the greatest risks.
There is a risk for heart attack just with general anesthesia alone but risk depends on patient comorbidities and the operation planned (some have minimal risk while others like aortic surgery have higher risk). Generally, if a patient has a prohibitive cardiac risk for surgery other options are considered (endovascular or palliative medical management).....
