Perioperative myocardial injury (PMI) is a common complication following non-cardiac, particularly thoracic, surgery and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Although guidelines recommend cardiac biomarker monitoring to detect PMI, its implementation in routine clinical practice remains limited.

To evaluate the combined use of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) following elective thoracic surgery, and to determine whether NT-proBNP provides incremental prognostic value beyond hs-cTnI alone.

Multicentre observational cohort study.

Conducted between February 2021 and November 2023 in three Spanish tertiary hospitals.

Patients aged ≥45 years scheduled for elective thoracic surgery involving lung resection (pneumonectomy, lobectomy, bilobectomy or segmentectomy) under general anaesthesia. Exclusion criteria included urgent or non-thoracic surgery, active infection or sepsis and a history of severe heart failure (ejection fraction

Combined measurement of hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP at baseline (preoperatively) and at 24 and 48 hours postoperatively.

PMI was defined as hs-cTnI ≥45 ng/L at 24 and/or 48 hours or a ≥20% increase from baseline in patients with elevated preoperative concentrations.

Among 475 patients, PMI occurred in 11.8%. PMI had higher rates of prior stroke (12.5% vs 2.9%; p=0.004), smoking history (85.7% vs 64.0%; p=0.001) and severe renal dysfunction (7.1% vs 0.7%; p=0.001), with similar Revised Cardiac Risk Index distribution. Patients with PMI also had greater postoperative elevations of hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP (p

Combined hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP assessment improves perioperative cardiovascular risk stratification beyond ischaemia.

NCT04749212

Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom that is associated with an increased risk of mortality, dialysis initiation and hospitalisation among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics, content and psychometric properties of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used to measure fatigue in patients with CKD not requiring kidney replacement therapy (KRT).

Systematic review. The characteristics, dimensions of fatigue and psychometric properties of these measures were extracted and analysed.

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL from database inception to February 2023.

All studies that reported fatigue in patients with CKD stages 1–5 not receiving KRT.

We identified 97 studies (20 (21%) randomised trials, 2 (2%) non-randomised trials and 75 (77%) observational studies). 27 different measures were used to assess fatigue, of which three were author-developed measures. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Kidney Disease Quality of Life – Short Form (KDQOL-SF) were the most frequently used measures (41 (42%) and 24 (25%) studies, respectively). Six (22%) measures were specific to fatigue (Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire, Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Fatigue Scale, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue, Fatigue Severity Scale, and author developed Chen & Ku 1998, and Hao et al 2021) while 21 (78%) included a fatigue subscale or item within a broader construct for example, quality of life. Various content domains assessed included tiredness, ability to think clearly, level of energy, muscle weakness, ability to concentrate, verbal abilities, motivation, memory, negative emotions and life participation. Only two measures (Chronic Kidney Disease Symptom Index – Sri Lanka, Kidney Symptom Questionnaire) were developed specifically for CKD, but they were not specific to fatigue. Six measures (Chronic Kidney Disease Symptom Index – Sri Lanka, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Anemia, Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire, Kidney Symptom Questionnaire, Short Form 6 Dimension and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey) had been validated in patients with CKD not requiring KRT.

PROMs used to assess fatigue in patients with CKD vary in content and few were specific to fatigue in patients with CKD not requiring KRT. Data to support the psychometric robustness of PROMs for fatigue in CKD were sparse. A validated and content-relevant measure to assess fatigue in patients with CKD is needed.