Until results from DECREASE-IV are available, Dr. Poldermans and his associates maintain all surgery patients on a statin if they are already taking one preoperatively, and they start statin treatment in high-risk patients. The main potential downside of perioperative statin treatment is that patients can develop myopathy or rhabdomyolysis and not recognize new-onset muscle pain to help diagnose these adverse effects.
Perioperative Event Risk Factors
▸ Age 70 years or older
▸ Current angina
▸ History of myocardial infarction
▸ History of heart failure
▸ History of cerebrovascular accident
▸ Current diabetes
▸ Current renal failure
Source: Dr. Poldermans