BACKGROUND: The postoperative adverse cardiovascular events (PACE) after surgery can result in prolonged length of stay and poorer prognosis. The purpose of this Asian single-center study was to investigate the potential predicative role of leptin for PACE in elderly patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients in the study were prospectively recruited from a series of elderly patients (≥60 years) undergoing elective major non-cardiac surgery (≥2 hours) in our hospital from June 2013 to June, 2016. The demographic and clinical data and the preoperative serum biomarkers of each participant were recorded in details. Suspected PACE were assessed by the same experienced expert based on clinical, blood, and other accessory tests. The univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were plotted to evaluate the potential independent predictive factors for PACE.

RESULTS: A total of 270 elderly patients (145 males and 125 females), undergoing major elective non-cardiac surgery, were finally enrolled in this study. Older age, higher revised cardiac risk index score, higher levels of systolic blood pressure, B-type natriuretic peptide and leptin, the preoperative medication of beta blocker and lipid-lowering agents were positive predictors of PACE by univariate analyses (p<0.05). Our results indicated that preoperative leptin level (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.08–3.42; p=0.015) and advanced age (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.94; p=0.041) were significantly associated with the occurrence of PACE by multiple logistic regression analyses.

CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative serum leptin level and advanced age were two independent risk factors for PACE among elderly patients undergoing elective major non-cardiac surgery.

Keywords: Postoperative Care, Surgery, Computer-Assisted