ABSTRACT
Heart disease may be a potential source of perioperative complications. The risk of such complications depends on the patient’s condition prior to surgery, the prevalence of comorbidities and the type of surgical procedure. Perioperative cardiac complications may specifi cally arise in patients with documented or asymptomatic ischaemic heart disease, left ventricular dysfunction and valvular heart disease when the perioperative period is associated with increased cardiac stress owing to haemodynamic disturbances. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that such patients are identifi ed and adequately prepared for, and carefully treated during the perioperative period.
