Coronary vasomotor dysfunction and anesthesia management in noncardiac surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review addresses an increasingly recognized but still underdiagnosed group of patients presenting for noncardiac surgery with angina with nonobstructive coronary arteries (ANOCA) driven by coronary vasomotor dysfunction (CVDys). It synthesizes current knowledge on the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of CVDys - encompassing endothelial dysfunction, epicardial and microvascular spasm, and structural and functional coronary microvascular dysfunction - and provides anesthesiologists with phenotype‑guided recommendations for preoperative assessment, intraoperative management, and postoperative care.

RECENT FINDINGS: Large angiographic cohorts indicate that up to 40% of patients with angina have ANOCA, with CVDys identifiable in most patients and associated with increased mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events. Contemporary guidelines acknowledge ANOCA, advocate noninvasive perfusion imaging and invasive coronary function testing for endotype definition, and recommend endotype‑tailored therapies such as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta‑blockers, and calcium channel blockers, alongside with perioperative strategies emphasizing symptom stability, functional capacity, meticulous hemodynamic control, stress reduction, and continuation of disease‑modifying and antianginal therapy.

SUMMARY: CVDys is particularly prevalent in females and often associated with atypical symptoms, diagnostic delay, psychological burden, and impaired quality of life. A structured, phenotype‑driven anesthetic approach - prioritizing stable hemodynamics, avoidance of vascular spasm triggers, preservation of euvolemia and oxygen delivery, multimodal analgesia, perioperative stress reduction, early recognition of ischemic symptoms, and close collaboration with cardiology - may reduce ischemic events and improve outcomes in this high risk but frequently overlooked population.