What symptom is associated with a score of 10 points on the Goldman Index?

A score of 10 points on the Goldman Index indicates a significant risk associated with a patient's cardiac health, particularly in the context of non-cardiac surgery. The Goldman Index is a preoperative cardiac risk assessment tool that evaluates various factors to stratify patients based on their risk of perioperative cardiac complications.

The presence of a recent myocardial infarction, particularly within the last six months, is a critical factor in determining a higher risk score. It suggests that the heart is not fully healed and may not tolerate the physiological stress of surgery well, increasing the likelihood of complications such as arrhythmias or even cardiac arrest during or after surgery. Thus, a recent myocardial infarction is a well-established factor in evaluating cardiac risk, making it a key contributor to a score of 10 on the Goldman Index.

In contrast, complications like uncompensated heart failure, frequent PVCs, and PACs on an EKG are indeed significant cardiac risk factors as well; however, they carry different point values and may not elevate the score to the maximum of 10 points in the same manner that recent myocardial infarction does.