Cardiac surgery in elderly patients. Where is the risk threshold?

Overview

The purpose of the study:
A retrospective analysis of surgical results in a group of patients over 75 years old in an attempt to determine and set an age limit after which surgery is considered to be high-risk.

Patients:
We analysed the surgical results of 504 patients who had undergone surgery between the years 2000 and 2003 at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, České Budějovice General Hospital.

Results:
Total mortality was 10.1 %. In the AVR group mortality was 1.9 %, in the CABG group 6.7 %. Combined procedures were high-risk operations. Our results have confirmed that cardiac operations in patients over 75 years are higher risk procedures.

Conclusion:
Operations in advanced age are an integral part of modern cardiac surgery normally with positive outcomes. Combined procedures require an individual preoperative assessment of patients.

Key words:
cardiac operations in advanced age -⁠ surgical results -⁠ age limit of high risk.