Science / Medicine : Post-Surgical Blood Flow Linked to Heart Attacks

Patients who develop poor blood flow to their hearts soon after surgery are nine times more likely than other patients to suffer heart attacks within a few days, according to a study.

Among people with heart disease, heart attacks are a major hazard in the days after surgery. The new research was intended to find signs that could help doctors identify patients who are at especially high risk.

The study found a strong link between ischemia--disruption in the flow of blood to the heart’s own muscle--and the chance of cardiac death, non-fatal heart attacks or ominous chest pain while at rest.

“Early detection and treatment of ischemia may well be the key to decreasing heart attacks and deaths after surgery,” said Dr. Dennis T. Mangano. “The potential savings in lives and medical costs are enormous.” His study, conducted at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.