Perioperative statin therapy: current knowledge and future directions

Abstract

Perioperative statin therapy has come to represent a cornerstone of risk reduction for millions of patients who undergo cardiac and noncardiac surgeries. While large-scale, robust, randomized controlled studies support the use of statins in cardiac surgery, their role in noncardiac surgery has become ambiguous following concerns regarding scientific misconduct in many pivotal studies. In this edition of the Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, Irwin et al. comprehensively summarize the evidence for perioperative statin treatment. The authors add to this review by providing expert opinions regarding the state of the science and future paths for research and enquiry.