More than 27 million Americans undergo noncardiac surgery annually. Cardiac complications can be a major source of morbidity and mortality in the perioperative period. Preoperative risk stratification, intraoperative ischemia monitoring and postoperative surveillance help to predict, identify and efficiently treat these adverse events. A renewed emphasis on preoperative evaluation has helped to identify patients at an increased risk for adverse cardiac events and thus, implement noninvasive or invasive cardio protective strategies in an attempt to minimize these complications. In this review we briefly describe the current evidence on perioperative management of patients presenting for noncardiac surgery. As the surgeon will remain one of the first to evaluate patients before noncardiac surgery it is essential he/she be well versed with this information.

The oculocardiac reflex (OCR) occurs in up to 90% of ophthalmological surgeries. Several preventive and treatment strategies have been described. Coronary artery spasm (CAS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of variant angina and myocardial infarction. We describe an unusual case of a perioperative myocardial infarction due to CAS that occurred in the setting of the treatment of the OCR. We offer insight aimed at minimizing the deleterious effects of the OCR and its management.

The oculocardiac reflex is a trigeminal-vagal reflex that manifests as cardiac arrythmias, most often bradycardia. The reflex can be triggered by manipulation of periorbital structures and unintended pressure on the bulbus oculi maxillofacial procedures. In this brief communication, we describe an unusual trigger of the oculocardiac reflex during maxillofacial surgery that resulted in severe bradycardia. This case highlights the need for careful securement of medical devices and attention to surgical technique to avoid undue pressure on draped fascial structures.

We present the case of a patient with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) in situ. Device interrogation and reprogramming were unsuccessful due to a software mismatch between the device and programmer. The device manufacturer recommended magnet application to suspend antitachycardia therapy. Despite using this strategy, the S-ICD discharged multiple times. The S-ICD has unique perioperative considerations for the anesthesiologist. This case provides an example of the complexity of electrophysiologic devices in current use and the necessity of the anesthesia provider to stay up to date with evolving device management strategies.