Perioperative myocardial ischemia and infarction

Perioperative myocardial infarction (MI) represents a major source of morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. Mangano [1] has estimated that over 50,000 patients a year sustain a perioperative MI, at an average additional cost to hospitals of $12,000 per patient. Although care to limit its complications has greatly improved, a perioperative MI is still associated with 30 to 50% mortality in noncardiac surgery patients [2, 3].