Affiliation:
1. Weill Cornell Medical Center, USA
Abstract
Valvular heart disease is a common cardiovascular disorder, with an estimated prevalence of 2.5% in the United States. The disease is particularly burdensome in adults over 75 years of age, with 13.3% having moderate to severe disease of the aortic or mitral valve. As populations grow older, diagnostic capabilities improve, and health care becomes more accessible, the number of patients with valvular heart disease undergoing both cardiac and non-cardiac surgery will continue to grow. The preoperative assessment and optimization of these patients is a complex task involving multiple specialists, including internists, cardiologists, intensivists, cardiothoracic surgeons, and anesthesiologists. As newer therapeutic options are offered to patients with numerous comorbidities, the preoperative management of these patients will require a sophisticated multimodal approach. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the preoperative assessment and optimization of patients with valvular heart disease undergoing cardiac and non-cardiac surgery.