Arch Intern Med
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This article discusses the evolution of smokeless tobacco in the United States and interprets the available data on cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular mortality associated with its use. There has been a resurgence of smokeless tobacco use since 1970. Smokeless tobacco consistently produces levels of nicotine higher than those seen with smoking and causes similar sympathetic neural stimulation and acute cardiovascular effects. ⋯ Although the evidence is not conclusive, the adverse cardiovascular effects of smokeless tobacco use are less than those caused by smoking but are more than those found in nonusers. It is advisable to counsel all current users of smokeless tobacco to quit. Behavioral counseling, sustained-release bupropion hydrochloride therapy, and nicotine replacement therapy may be safe therapeutic modalities for treatment of smokeless tobacco use.
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The number of patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery has steadily increased over the last decade. Cardiovascular complications are important and often feared by patients, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Although preoperative risk assessment has improved since Goldman and colleagues published their landmark article that introduced the Multifactorial Index of Cardiac Risk 25 years ago, it continues to require modification, especially with the increasing prevalence of heart failure and the increase in procedures performed in the elderly. This review will summarize preoperative assessment and perioperative management with an emphasis on heart failure.