Background: The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was developed as an indicator of arterial wall stiffness, and it is less influenced by blood pressure (BP). We investigated the relationship between the CAVI and coronary artery disease (CAD), and evaluated the effects of rapid changes in BP induced by anesthetics on CAVI.
Materials and methods: We measured the CAVI in 76 patients before and after the administration of anesthetics for elective cardiovascular surgery. The patients were assigned to groups with or without CAD (0VD). The CAD group was then divided into 3 subgroups based on the number of stenotic vessels (1VD, 2VD, and 3VD). We compared the CAVI between CAD and 0VD, and changes in BP during the induction of anesthesia. All data were analyzed using Stat View 5.0 software.
Results: Systolic BP significantly decreased from 145 ± 21 to 107 ± 20 mmHg, whereas CAVI was not altered after the administration of intravenous anesthetics. Changes in BP and in pre-anesthetic CAVI (pre-CAVI) did not correlate. The pre- and post-anesthetic values for the CAVI (post-CAVI) in the 0VD and CAD groups were 8.34 ± 1.01 and 8.44 ± 1.39, and 9.95 ± 1.22 and 10.12 ± 1.56, respectively. Both values were higher in the CAD, than in the 0VD group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The CAVI is independent of BP and reproducible regardless of the induction of anesthesia and is significantly higher in patients with CAD. The CAVI might be able to predict atherosclerosis and coronary artery stenosis in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.
Keywords: Anesthesia; Atherosclerosis; Cardio-ankle vascular index; Cardiovascular surgery.