ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A considerable amount of data are available regarding cardiac risk in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing non-cardiac surgery, but few data are available regarding risk for patients with cardiomyopathy. METHODS: Reports on the anesthetic management of patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) undergoing non-cardiac surgery were identified using Medline and the Igaku-Chuou-Zassi (Japana Centra Revuo Medicina) database (1981-2002). The data were analyzed in terms of patient characteristics, methods of intraoperative care, and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Sixty nine patients were included. The mean value of the left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradient (LVOTPG) was 63 mmHg. Twenty two cases were diagnosed as severe HOCM in terms of pressure gradient (LVOTPG > or = 50 mmHg) and clinical manifestations. Major complications, such as cardiac arrest and refractory shock, occurred in 10 cases. However, these perioperative risks were not correlated with severity of HOCM. CONCLUSIONS: Careful planning is inevitable in anesthesia for patients with HOCM. Although the rate of major perioperative complications is relatively low, they can occur unexpectedly and resemble the natural course of HOCM. In order to clearly elucidate risk factors for adverse perioperative outcomes, further analysis will be necessary as more cases are documented.
