Q: My father had CABG (Coronary Angio Bypass Grafting) two years back. Recently, he underwent an ECG and Echocardiography. The reports are: ECG: Old Inferior wall Myocardial Infarction and Echo: Hypokinetic left ventricular septum & LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction) 62%. He also has high blood sugar. He has some serious vision problems in his left eye. The eye specialist informed us that he needs to undergo a cataract operation immediately. What do my father's reports suggest? Is it safe for him to undergo cataract operation?

A:ECG shows the old heart attack that your father had. The echo shows decreased pumping of the heart muscle in another area: but the overall pumping is good (EF-62%; Normal= more than 55%). He needs to take a stress test (treadmill ECG or better still a stress thallium-nuclear medicine test) to give us a functional idea of the adequacy of blood supply to the heart muscle when he is exercising. If this is normal or shows only minor defects he can safely undergo the surgery. As of now, the most important and good news from your father's current tests is that the heart is pumping well.