Evaluation of Appropriate Use of Preoperative Echocardiography before Major Abdominal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative resting echocardiography is often performed before noncardiac surgery, but indications for preoperative resting echocardiography are limited. This study aimed to investigate appropriateness of preoperative resting echocardiography using the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography, which encompass indications from the guidelines on perioperative cardiovascular evaluation and management and nonperioperative indications independent of the perioperative period. The authors hypothesized that patients are frequently tested without an appropriate indication. METHODS: Records of patients in the Truven Health MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Databases who underwent a major abdominal surgery from 2005 to 2017 were included. These databases contain de-identified records of health services for more than 250 million patients with primary or Medicare supplemental health insurance coverage through employer-based fee-for-service, point-of-service, or capitated plans. Patients were classified based on the presence of an outpatient claim for resting transthoracic echocardiography within 60 days of surgery. Appropriateness was determined via International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision-Clinical Modification, and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision-Clinical Modification principal and secondary diagnosis codes associated with the claims, and classified as "appropriate," "rarely appropriate," or "unclassifiable" using the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography. RESULTS: Among 230,535 patients in the authors' cohort, preoperative resting transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 6.0% (13,936) of patients. There were 12,638 (91%) studies classifiable by the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography, and 1,298 (9%) were unable to be classified. Among the classifiable studies, 8,959 (71%) were deemed "appropriate," while 3,679 (29%) were deemed "rarely appropriate." Surveillance of chronic ischemic heart disease and uncomplicated hypertension accounted for 43% (1,588 of 3,679) of "rarely appropriate" echocardiograms. CONCLUSIONS: More than one in four preoperative resting echocardiograms were considered "rarely appropriate" according to the Appropriate Use Criteria for Echocardiography. A narrow set of patient characteristics accounts for a large proportion of "rarely appropriate" preoperative resting echocardiograms.

Frequency and Outcomes of Preoperative Stress Testing in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017.

Importance: Cardiac stress testing is often performed prior to noncardiac surgery, although trends in use of preoperative stress testing and the effect of testing on cardiovascular outcomes are currently unknown. Objective: To describe temporal trends and outcomes of preoperative cardiac stress testing from 2004 to 2017. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional study of patients undergoing elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty from 2004 to 2017. Trend analysis was conducted using Joinpoint and generalized estimating equation regression. The study searched IBM MarketScan Research Databases inpatient and outpatient health care claims for private insurers including supplemental Medicare coverage and included patients with a claim indicating an elective total hip or total knee arthroplasty from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2017. Exposures: Elective total hip or knee arthroplasty. Main Outcomes and Measures: Trend in yearly frequency of preoperative cardiac stress testing. Results: The study cohort consisted of 801 396 elective total hip (27.9%; n = 246 168 of 801 396) and total knee (72.1%; 555 228 of 801 396) arthroplasty procedures, with a median age of 62 years (interquartile range, 57-70 years) and 58.1% women (n = 465 545 of 801 396). The overall rate of stress testing during the study period was 10.4% (n = 83 307 of 801 396). The rate of stress tests increased 0.65% (95% CI, 0.09-1.21; P = .03) annually from quarter (Q) 1 of 2004 until Q2 of 2006. A joinpoint was identified at Q3 of 2006 (95% CI, 2005 Q4 to 2007 Q4) when preoperative stress test use decreased by -0.71% (95% CI, -0.79% to 0.63%; P < .001) annually. A second joinpoint was identified at the Q4 of 2013 (95% CI, 2011 Q3 to 2015 Q3), when the decline in stress testing rates slowed to -0.40% (95% CI, -0.57% to -0.24%; P < .001) annually. The overall rate of myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest was 0.24% (n = 1677 of 686 067). Rates of myocardial infraction and cardiac arrest were not different in patients with at least 1 Revised Cardiac Risk Index condition who received a preoperative stress test and those who did not (0.60%; n = 221 of 36 554 vs 0.57%; n = 694 of 122 466; P = .51). Conclusions and Relevance: The frequency of preoperative stress testing declined annually from 2006 through 2017. Among patients with at least 1 Revised Cardiac Risk Index condition, no difference was observed in cardiovascular outcomes between patients who did and did not undergo preoperative testing.