Damage to the heart can be caused by surgeries that do not involve the heart in patients with known risk or those at high risk of developing heart disease and was also associated with an increased risk of death, reveals a new study. Heart cell damage that occurs during or after non-heart surgery is known as perioperative myocardial injury (PMI). Complications that follow non-heart surgery are usually undetected and was found to be linked to death within 30 days after surgery. PMI causes are still under investigation.