• L G Glance.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University of Rochester, NY, USA.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 1999 Jun 1; 13 (3): 265-71.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the long-term outcomes (5-year survival) and cost-effectiveness of selective coronary revascularization before major vascular surgery.DesignA decision-tree model was constructed to compare the cost-effectiveness of four preoperative screening strategies from the perspective of the health care system.SettingBased on patient mortality, morbidity, and cost data from a literature review.ParticipantsHypothetical cohort of patients scheduled for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair followed up over a 5-year period.InterventionsPatients either proceeded directly to surgery or were screened using one of three possible preoperative screening strategies. In the first strategy, all patients were screened with a dipyridamole-thallium test. In the second strategy, all patients underwent coronary angiography. The third strategy, selective screening, first divided patients into high-, intermediate-, and low-risk groups using clinical criteria. High-risk patients underwent preoperative angiography. Intermediate-risk patients were screened noninvasively, and low-risk patients proceeded directly to surgery without further testing.Measurement And Main ResultsProceeding directly to vascular surgery resulted in the poorest 5-year survival rate (77.4%) compared with preoperative risk stratification followed by selective coronary revascularization, routine noninvasive testing (86.1%), selective testing (86.0%), and routine angiography (87.9%; p = 0.00). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for selective testing was significantly lower than for routine angiography ($44,800/years of life saved (YLS) v $93,300/YLS; p < 0.02). Routine noninvasive testing was not cost-effective. Thirty-day mortality was the same for all four strategies (p = 0.84).ConclusionSelective screening before vascular surgery may improve 5-year survival and be cost-effective. Neither routine noninvasive testing nor routine angiography appears to be cost-effective compared with currently accepted medical therapies.

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