RESUMO
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The incidence of perioperative hypertension is increasing in recent decades. Hypertension increases the risk of anaesthesia and surgical operation, and also affects the prognosis of patients apparently. This study was to investigate the influence of perioperative hypertension on postoperative cardiovascular complications in chest cancer patients. METHODS: Clinical data of 464 chest cancer patients, received thoracotomy in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University between Aug. 2005 and Dec. 2005, were analyzed. Of the 464 patients, 152 had perioperative hypertension, and 312 did not. Postoperative cardiovascular complications of the 2 groups were compared with Chi-square test. RESULTS: The 2 groups had no significant differences in age, sex, tumor type, preoperative chronic disease, and preoperative cardiovascular disease (P>0.05). Postoperative cardiovascular complications were developed in 54 patients in perioperative hypertension group (including 41 cases of arrhythmia, 8 cases of hypotension, 3 cases of heart failure, and 2 cases of cardiac ischemia) and in 53 patients in perioperative non-hypertension group (including 41 cases of arrhythmia, 9 cases of hypotension, 2 cases of heart failure, and 1 case of cardiac ischemia). The occurrence rate of postoperative cardiovascular complications was significantly higher in perioperative hypertension group than in perioperative non-hypertension group (35.53% vs. 16.99%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Perioperative hypertension obviously increases the incidence of postoperative cardiovascular complications in chest cancer patients after thoracotomy.