Preoperative cardiac assessment (checking the heart) is meant to find patients who might have serious heart problems if they have surgery. In fiscal year 2011/12, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences found about 7,500 preoperative assessments of cardiac risk had been performed through cardiac stress tests in Ontario.
Health Quality Ontario Reviews Preoperative Cardiac Stress Tests for Noncardiac Surgery
Noninvasive (without putting tools into the body) cardiac stress tests (checking the heart for problems that might appear when the patient is not relaxed) are often used to find serious heart problems that might appear during surgery. Three types of tests are used: stress echocardiography, radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging, and exercise/treadmill test. These tests are not invasive and can allow surgeons to postpone surgery for a better time or to prepare for any problems that might develop.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has accepted this recommendation.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has provided the following response: Relevant language in Schedule of Benefits for Physician Services has been updated.