Predictors of major postoperative cardiac complications in a surgical ICU.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular complications are associated with increased mortality and morbidity during the postoperative period, resulting in longer hospital stay and higher treatment costs.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify predictors of major postoperative cardiac complications.

METHODS: 187 patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) between November 2004 and April 2005. Variables recorded were age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, type and magnitude of surgery, mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), cardiac troponin I (cTnI) at postoperative day 0, 1, 2 and 3, history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) score, major cardiac events (MCE): acute myocardial infarction (AMI), pulmonary edema (PE), ventricular fibrillation (VF) or primary cardiac arrest (PCA). Correlations between variables and MCE were made by univariate analysis by simple logistic regression with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

RESULTS: Total of 14 MCE: 9 AMI, 1 VF, 4 PE. Significant risk factors for MCE were high-risk surgery (OR 8.26, 95% CI 1.76-38.85, p = 0.008), RCRI > or = 2 (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.22-13.16, p = 0.022), admission cTnI (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.07-1.99, p = 0.018); day 1 cTnI (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.27-2.41, p = 0.001); day 2 cTnI (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.24-3.98, p = 0.007), SAPS II (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12, p < 0.001). Patients with MCE had longer ICU LOS (19.1 +/- 19.3 days against 3.4 +/- 4.9) (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08-1.22, p < 0.001) and higher ICU mortality (21.4% versus 4.6%) (OR 5.63, 95% CI 1.31-24.23, p = 0.02) in the ICU.

CONCLUSIONS: High-risk surgery, RCRI > or = 2, cTnI levels and SAPS II were predictors of postoperative MCE. Patients with MCE had longer ICU stay and higher mortality rate.