Forty-seven consecutive patients undergoing lung resection for various diseases were evaluated preoperatively by a cardiologist with ECG, blood chemistry and cardiac x-ray findings. The parameters such as smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, advanced age, diabetes and history of cardiac disease were considered as risk factor determinants. Stress test was applied when at least two parameters of the first three or at least one parameter of the last three parameters were present. Coronary angiography was performed in the case of positive stress test. Patients were classified as low risk group when there was no need for a stress test, and intermediate risk group when a stress test was performed, although having a negative test. The patients, whom a coronary artery disease was detected in angiography, were classified as high risk group. Twenty-nine of total cases were in the low risk group, and 15 were in the intermediate risk group. Three patients in the high risk group were excluded from the study. Dysrhythmia was developed in two patients in the low risk group, and five in the intermediate risk group. Overall cardiac complication rate was 15.9%, whereas no mortality was observed due to cardiac events. Difference between the dysrhythmia rates of the low and the intermediate risk groups was found to be significant. We suggest that it may be possible to estimate the cardiac complications with the presented algorithm.

Keywords : Pulmonary resection, cardiac assessment, risk