[Dobutamine stress-echocardiography in prognostication of risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with atherosclerosis obliterans with forthcoming surgery on the aorta and large arteries].

Aim of the study was to analyze efficacy of the use of stress echocardiography for assessment of degree of risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with atherosclerosis obliterans of the aorta and large arteries of lower extremities scheduled for surgery. Dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiography was carried out in 123 patients (119 men and 4 women, age from 40 to 78 years, mean age 62 +/- 7.3 years). Overall 97 operative interventions were performed in 89 patients (72.3%). There were no significant differences between groups with positive and negative dobutamine stress test result in number and structure of operations. Post operative cardiovascular complications were noted in 6 of 89 patients (6.7%): 3 patients had unstable angina, 1 - myocardial infarction, and 2 patients died during 24 hours after surgery because of acute myocardial infarction and acute cardiovascular failure. Cardiovascular complications were more often registered among patients with positive compared with patients with negative result of stress echocardiography with dobutamine (16.7 and 1.7%, respectively, p < 0.05). Negative predictive power of dobutamine stress echocardiography in relation to development of cardiovascular postoperative complications was 98%.