Cardiac Clearance for surgical and non surgical procedures
Hossein Dehghani, MD
Many times patients need to undergo invasive procedures, surgeries and treatments by other providers. Generally when people are above the age of 40 depending on complexity of surgery/procedure or the need for general anesthesia, the surgeon or operator might ask for cardiovascular evaluation. This evaluation can be as basic as history and exam and perhaps just a quick ECG or at times might need non invasive and invasive cardiac tests such as stress tests, echocardiograms or even invasive angiograms. We perform cardiac clearance consultations quickly, effectively and without ordering a number of unnecessary tests. We will also provide guidance regarding medication stoppage or initiation around the time of the procedures.
You can show up for your clearance consultation in any outfit you like. You do not need to be fasting. I recommend wearing comfortable walking outfits in case you need to perform a treadmill stress test. If you need stress testing or echocardiogram studies we will always try to fit you in ASAP so that your surgical date does not get delayed. Our goal as always is to usher you through your surgery with minimal cardiac risks and all your medications optimized.
If you happen to be a smoker, data suggest that even quitting for one week before your surgery, significantly reduces your risk of cardiovascular and pulmonary adverse events.