187 patients (>60 years) undergoing emergency (i.e. non-elective) surgery in an orthopaedic unit were included. Patients who demonstrated a postoperative increase in troponin (n=70) were randomized to undergo either 24 hours of cardiology care or standard care, within 24 hours of troponin measurement to compare these two interventions with respect to mortality rates at 1 year. Results indicated that, although 1-year mortality rates were significantly higher in patients who exhibited a postoperative elevation in troponin levels, there was no significant difference in 1-year mortality between the two randomized groups. The proportion of patients experiencing a cardiac complication either in hospital or at 1 year was also similar between the two interventions.