Improved life expectancy after coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly

From 1981 to 1990, 204 patients (165 male, 35 female) aged 70 years and older (mean 72.4 +/- 2.4 years [+/- SD], range, 70 to 81 years) underwent isolated coronary artery bypass surgery with an average of 3.8 +/- 1.2 grafts per patient. Seven patients (3.5%) were in NYHA functional class I, 52 (25.5%) were in class II, 1237 (62%) were in class III, and 18 patients (9%) were in class IV preoperatively. The operative mortality (30-day mortality) was 6.8% (14 patients). The NYHA class improved in these patients from a mean preoperative value of 2.8 +/- 0.65 to 1.4 +/- 0.6 postoperatively (p < 0.0001). The actuarial survival (+/- SD) of the entire group was 92 +/- 2% and 86 +/- 4% at 1 and 5 years, respectively, and of the patients surviving operation, excluding those who died in the hospital, it was 98.5 +/- 1.0% and 93 +/- 3.5% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. We concluded that coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly patients can be performed with acceptable operative mortality and good late results.