EuPreCHO: European Study on Perioperative Management and Outcome Following Preoperative Transthoracic Echocardiography in Noncardiac Surgery Patients

In August 2022 the European Society of Cardiology published updated guidelines including recommendations on preoperative transthoracic echocardiography. The update resulted in broadened criteria for preoperative transthoracic echocardiography. The impact of preoperative transthoracic echocardiography on outcome is controversial and the evidence was mostly derived from administrative databases. Also there is also a knowledge gap in terms of what changes in perioperative managements are derived from transthoracic echocardiography information in current daily practice in Europe and what their impact on outcome may be. Further, a secondary analysis in a large international cohort suggests that the criteria endorsed by the guidelines to define the class of recommendation of transthoracic echocardiography may not be efficient.