2025 Volume 74 Issue 1 Pages 26-36
Purpose: In our country, which has become a super-aging society, the number of cases with concurrent cardiovascular diseases is increasing. Therefore, the importance of conducting comprehensive preoperative evaluations, including testing for patients suspected of having heart disease, is increasing. In our hospital, a unique department called the “Hospitalization and Discharge support Center” was established in 2015 with the aim of accurately assessing patient risks, ensuring smooth inpatient treatment, safer surgeries, and earlier discharge. From 2021, we have established a dedicated ultrasound reservation slot within the Hospitalization and Discharge Center. However, it remains unclear how many patients had specific findings detected during these cardiac ultrasound examinations and to what extent the detected findings have contributed to perioperative management. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the detection rate of significant findings in cardiac ultrasound examinations and their impact on perioperative management, considering the importance of constructing a preoperative evaluation system. Methods: We conducted a survey targeting 677 cases of cardiac ultrasound examinations requested from the dedicated reservation slot of the Hospitalization and Discharge support Center from April 2021 to March 2023. Results: No cases were found where scheduled surgical dates were postponed due to additional requests for preoperative cardiac ultrasound examinations. Significant findings were observed in 72% of all cases, and it was found that perioperative management, including the necessity of management, postponement, or cancellation, was implemented in each case. Conclusion: The results reaffirm the beneficial nature of preoperative cardiac ultrasound examinations for patients and clinical practice. We also report on the efforts of the Hospitalization and Discharge support Center, in conjunction with these examinations.
