The Pathophysiology of Myocardial Ischemia and Perioperative Myocardial Infarction.

Ischemic heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, may result in devastating perioperative ischemia and infarction. The underlying pathophysiology, precipitating factors, and approach to prevention differ between patients presenting for noncardiac surgery, developing acute coronary syndrome versus stable angina. The first half of this article reviews the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome and stable angina.

Comparison of Minimally and More Invasive Methods of Determining Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation.

Objective: To investigate the accuracy of a minimally invasive, 2-step, lookup method for determining mixed venous oxygen saturation compared with conventional techniques.

Design: Single-center, prospective, nonrandomized, pilot study.

Setting: Tertiary care hospital, university setting.