ABSTRACT
Adverse cardiac outcomes after non-cardiac surgery can be reduced by early detection and aggressive management of excessive myocardial oxygen demand or inadequate supply. This implies that monitoring and therapy need to be continued into the postoperative period. Oxygen therapy is always indicated. Good postoperative analgesia is important, as is the absence of ventilatory depression (see Chapter 5). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be best avoided because of their ability to precipitate renal failure in this vulnerable group of patients. This is especially so in patients receiving ACE inhibitors (see Chapters 5 and 20).
