Introduction:

Patients with peripheral arterial disease undergoing scheduled non-cardiac vascular surgery present a significant risk of cardiovascular complications due to underlying symptomatic or asymptomatic heart disease.

Objective:

To assess coronary risk in patients eligible for non-cardiac vascular surgery.

Methods:

A prospective descriptive study was carried out in 35 patients of the Angiology and Vascular Surgery service in "Hermanos Ameijeiras" Hospital. The study was conducted between October 2013 and May 2016. Qualitative variables were summarized as absolute and relative frequencies. It was assessed the association between the variables using the Fischer´s test; Pearson´s coefficient was used to relate the values of the index of ankle- arm pressure and the levels of calcium score.

Results:

Male sex predominated; and ages less than 60 years. Smoking habit and high blood pressure were the most common risk factors. Although there is no significant difference (p= 0,563) when associating the calcium score and the ankle-brachial pressure index, there was a negative linear correlation between them. The peri-operative complications presented in the moderate to high surgical risk group were ventricular fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest.

Conclusions:

Identification of coronary risk is a useful tool in the detection of significant coronary lesions that may favor the emergence of peri-operative complications in patients who are scheduled for non-cardiac revascularization’s surgical treatment.