Cardiovascular pre-anesthesia evaluation in oncological surgery

Any cancer patient is a challenge for the anesthesiologist due to the increased cardiovascular risk factors resulting from the patient's condition, in addition to the increased toxicity from chemotherapy. Pre-anesthesia evaluation as part of the anesthetic activity is defined as the process of clinical evaluation before surgery and the administration of anesthesia per se. This review is intended to reassess the current approach to cardiovascular pre-anesthesia evaluation in cancer patients at referral centers. The search strategy used the major databases in the scientific literature, based on the keywords identified. The conclusion is that cardiovascular risk factors must be closely controlled and hence the approach to the management of the cancer patient should be in cooperation with clinical oncology and cardiology. The evaluation should include the ejection fraction as one of the most relevant predictors of the patient's prognosis.