Can Statins Reduce Perioperative Morbidity and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Non-Cardiac Vascular Surgery?

AimsTo determine whether statins can reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing non-cardiac vascular surgery.MethodsA search using Pubmed was performed to identify reports in English. The search terms were: “statins”, “perioperative morbidity”, “perioperative mortality” and “vascular surgery”. We excluded studies dealing with the effect of statins in cardiac surgery. Retrieved articles were manually searched.ResultsCurrent evidence shows that statins decrease perioperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing non-cardiac vascular surgery. Any benefit probably occurs soon (within a month) after initiating treatment.ConclusionsAppropriately designed trials need to confirm the beneficial effect of perioperative statin therapy in various patient categories. The optimal duration and dose of perioperative statin therapy should be defined.