New ESC/ESA Guidelines on non-cardiac surgery: cardiovascular assessment and management

During the last 16 months, a Task Force established by the Guideline Committees of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA) has been working on a new Guideline document on cardiovascular assessment and management of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. The clinical scenario is common and the optimal management strategy for these patients is discussed by cardiologists, anaesthesiologists, surgeons, and other doctors and health personnel in our daily practice. The field is wide and complex, and is evolving with many new developments. The ESC decided in December 2012 to write a new Guideline on perioperative care, and established, together with the ESA, a new task force of experts co-chaired by Professor Steen D. Kristensen, Aarhus, Denmark ( Figure 1 ) and Professor Juhani Knuuti, Turku, Finland ( Figure 2 ). Figure 1 Professor Steen D. Kristensen. Figure 2 Professor Juhani Knuuti. The Guideline will cover the entire field including surgical risk assessment, pre-operative evaluation, and optimal perioperative management, and will also address relevant cardiological and anaesthesiological issues in patients with specific cardiac diseases and common co-morbidities scheduled to undergo non-cardiac surgery. The goal is to provide optimal guidance in the clinical decision-making process for patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Key areas with …