Reprinted article "A combination of statins and beta-blockers is independently associated with a reduction in the incidence of perioperative mortality and nonfatal myocardial infarction in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery".

Objective: To investigate the combined beneficial effect of statin and beta-blocker use on perioperative mortality and myocardial infarction (MI) in patients undergoing abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery (AAA).

Background: Patients undergoing elective AAA-surgery identified by clinical risk factors and dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) as being at high-risk often have considerable cardiac complication rate despite the use of beta-blockers.

Methods: We studied 570 patients (mean age 69 ±9 years, 486 males) who underwent AAA-surgery between 1991 and 2001 at the Erasmus MC.

Process of care partly explains the variation in mortality between hospitals after peripheral vascular surgery.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate whether variation in mortality at hospital level reflects differences in quality of care of peripheral vascular surgery patients.

Design: Observational study.

Materials: In 11 hospitals in the Netherlands, 711 consecutive vascular surgery patients were enrolled.

Medication underuse during long-term follow-up in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Background: Patients with peripheral arterial disease constitute a high-risk population. Guideline-recommended medical therapy use is therefore of utmost importance. The aims of our study were to establish the patterns of guideline-recommended medication use in patients with PAD at the time of vascular surgery and after 3 years of follow up, and to evaluate the effect of these therapies on long-term mortality in this patient group.

Fluvastatin and perioperative events in patients undergoing vascular surgery.

Background: Adverse cardiac events are common after vascular surgery. We hypothesized that perioperative statin therapy would improve postoperative outcomes.

Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned patients who had not previously been treated with a statin to receive, in addition to a beta-blocker, either 80 mg of extended-release fluvastatin or placebo once daily before undergoing vascular surgery.

Preoperative cardiac risk index predicts long-term mortality and health status.

Objectives: Peripheral arterial disease patients undergoing vascular surgery are known to be at risk for the occurrence of (late) cardiovascular events. Before surgery, the perioperative cardiac risk is commonly assessed using the Lee Risk Index score, a combination of 6 cardiac risk factors. This study assessed the predictive value of the Lee Risk Index for late mortality and long-term health status in patients after vascular surgery.