Do pulmonary function tests improve risk stratification before cardiothoracic surgery?

Objective: To assess the added value of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and different classifications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk model using a clinical definition of lung disease for predicting outcomes after cardiothoracic (CT) surgery.

Methods: We evaluated consecutive patients who underwent nonemergency cardiac surgery and underwent PFTs before CT surgery. We used the STS risk model 2.

Correlation between pericardial, mediastinal, and intrathoracic fat volumes with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome, and cardiac risk factors.

Aims: To investigate the association of pericardial, mediastinal, and intrathoracic fat volumes with the presence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), metabolic syndrome (MS), and cardiac risk factors (CRFs).

Methods And Results: Two hundred and sixteen consecutive patients who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and had a coronary angiogram within 12 months of the CMR were studied. Fat volume was measured by drawing region of interest curves, from short-axis cine views from base to apex and from a four-chamber cine view.