Preoperative Electrocardiographic Findings and Their Impact on Clinical Decision-Making Among Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A Retrospective Audit

June 18, 2026 torgjournaladmin 0
Categories : Abnormal ECG Finding , Ambulatory Surgery , Cataract Surgery , Ophthalmic Surgery , Ophthalmology , Perioperative Medicine , Preoperative Electrocardiography , The Operating Room Global , The Operating Room Global Journal , TORGJ , TORGJ Vol 2 Issue 2
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Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.64573/torgj2606002

Authors: Adebusola Adenike Owokole¹,²*,  Alazar Menbere Haile¹,³, Joshua Olaopin¹,⁴

¹ The Operating Room Global (TORG)
² The Robotic Global Surgical Society (TROGSS)
³ Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
⁴ College of Medicine, Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Cite:

  • APA (7th edition): Owokole, A. A., Haile, A. M., & Olaopin, J. (2026, June 18). Preoperative electrocardiographic findings and their impact on clinical decision-making among patients undergoing cataract surgery: A retrospective audit. The Operating Room Global Journal (TORGJ), 2(2). https://doi.org/10.64573/torgj2606002
  • Harvard: Owokole, A.A., Haile, A.M. and Olaopin, J., 2026. Preoperative electrocardiographic findings and their impact on clinical decision-making among patients undergoing cataract surgery: A retrospective audit. The Operating Room Global Journal (TORGJ), 2(2). Published 18 June. Available at: https://doi.org/10.64573/torgj2606002
  • Vancouver: Owokole AA, Haile AM, Olaopin J. Preoperative electrocardiographic findings and their impact on clinical decision-making among patients undergoing cataract surgery: A retrospective audit. The Operating Room Global Journal (TORGJ). 2026 Jun 18;2(2). https://doi.org/10.64573/torgj2606002
  • MLA (9th edition): Owokole, Adebusola Adenike, Alazar Menbere Haile, and Joshua Olaopin. “Preoperative Electrocardiographic Findings and Their Impact on Clinical Decision-Making Among Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A Retrospective Audit.” The Operating Room Global Journal (TORGJ), vol. 2, no. 2, 18 June 2026, https://doi.org/10.64573/torgj2606002
  • Chicago (Author-Date): Owokole, Adebusola Adenike, Alazar Menbere Haile, and Joshua Olaopin. 2026. “Preoperative Electrocardiographic Findings and Their Impact on Clinical Decision-Making Among Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery: A Retrospective Audit.” The Operating Room Global Journal (TORGJ) 2 (2), June 18. https://doi.org/10.64573/torgj2606002

*Corresponding Author:
Prof. Adebusola A. Owokole
[email protected]g
Declaration:
Authors’ Contribution:
AAO: Conceptualization, project oversight, manuscript preparation; AMH: Statistical analysis, interpretation, methodology; JO: Data management, verification, quality assurance. All authors approved the final manuscript.
Conflict of Interest:
No conflict of interests.
Funding:
No funding received by the authors.

Article History:
Received: 01-06-2026
Accepted: 14-06-2026
Available Online: 18-06-2026
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ABSTRACT
Background: During preoperative evaluation, electrocardiograms (ECGs) are commonly used to detect cardiovascular abnormalities that could affect perioperative care. In many outpatient settings, however, the clinical importance of ECG abnormalities and their influence on patient trajectories are still not well understood. In patients undergoing cataract surgery, this audit assessed the frequency of aberrant ECG results and their impact on clinical decision-making.
Aim: To evaluate ECG findings in patients undergoing preoperative assessment and determine their impact on clinical decision-making and patient flow.
Methods: Anonymized patient data from those who underwent outpatient preoperative evaluation for unilateral cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) insertion between May 7 & July 23, 2024, were used in a retrospective observational clinical audit. The ECG results and patient characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. Kruskal-Wallis & Fisher’s exact tests were utilised to evaluate correlations between clinical factors and ECG outcomes. To find independent predictors of aberrant ECG readings, multivariable logistic regression was used.
Results: There were 247 patients in all. 55% of the population was female & the median age was 76 years (IQR 70-81). ECG results were categorized as normal in 21% (n = 51), borderline in 31% (n = 76), and abnormal in 49% (n = 120). Conduction abnormalities were the most common abnormal ECG subtype (53%, n = 64), followed by arrhythmias (32%, n = 39), left ventricular hypertrophy (7%, n = 8), and ischaemic changes (2%, n = 3). Age (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.00-1.07; p = 0.034), diabetes (OR 2.63; 95% CI 1.32-5.41; p = 0.007) & prior cardiac history (OR 3.16; 95% CI 1.62-6.39; p < 0.001) were independently linked with aberrant ECG readings. In 89% of cases, patients were referred for additional anaesthesia review. Despite the high prevalence of ECG abnormalities, procedure delays (2.4%), cancellations (1.6%), and overall route interruption (2.8%) were rare.
Conclusion: Abnormal ECG findings are common among patients undergoing preoperative assessment for cataract surgery, particularly in older individuals and those with diabetes mellitus or established cardiac disease. However, these abnormalities rarely resulted in procedural delays or cancellations. These findings support the need for evidence-based ECG utilisation strategies that optimise patient flow while maintaining patient safety.
Keywords: Preoperative assessment; electrocardiography; ECG; cataract surgery; clinical audit; patient flow; cardiovascular risk assessment; ophthalmic surgery; perioperative care

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