European journal of vascular surgery
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The role of central haemodynamic monitoring in abdominal aortic surgery. A prospective randomised study.
To test the hypothesis that central haemodynamic monitoring is not necessary in all patients undergoing abdominal aortic surgery, a prospective randomised study in 40 consecutive patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic surgery was carried out. Patients with unstable angina, recent myocardial infarction (less than or equal to 6 months), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 0.50 were excluded. Twenty-one patients had perioperative central haemodynamic monitoring while 19 patients had central venous pressure monitoring alone. ⋯ Statistical analysis failed to show any difference in outcome for any variable measured in either low risk group. All serious postoperative cardiac complications occurred in patients with LVEF less than 0.50 (P less than 0.0001). These data suggest that patients with LVEF greater than or equal to 0.50 are at low risk of developing postoperative cardiac complications and can be successfully managed perioperatively without the added potential risks and costs of central haemodynamic monitoring.