Why the study?
Does routine 12-lead ECG preoperatively or on general admission provide clinical utility in all adult patients?
Does routine 12-lead ECG preoperatively or on general admission provide clinical utility in all adult patients?
Routine preoperative or admission ECGs are not supported by current data for all adult patients and should be reserved for those with cardiac symptoms or at risk for occult heart disease to reduce costs and false-positive results.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May reduce unnecessary testing and costs in low-risk adults; leaves open optimal selection criteria for high-yield use.
No consensus has been reached regarding the need for a routine 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) preoperatively or on general admission in adult patients. Critical review of relevant studies reveals important weaknesses and gaps in the data needed to formulate definitive recommendations. Available data, however, do not support the necessity for obtaining a baseline or screening ECG in all adult patients before surgery involving general or regional anesthesia or on hospital admission for other indications. To reduce costs related to unnecessary tests and false-positive results, routine use of the ECG is warranted only in selected subsets of hospitalized patients, including those with cardiac signs or symptoms and those at risk for occult heart disease, particularly older patients.
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Ary L. Goldberger (1986) studied this question.
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