[Heart valve surgery and associated diseases in aged subjects]

The object of this study was to assess the additional risk related to associated pathology in patients aged 70 or over undergoing valvular heart surgery. Two hundred and thirty nine patients aged 70 to 87 years (average 74.6 +/- 3.2) underwent this form of surgery between October 1979 and June 1989. Sixty seven had coronary artery disease, 26 had atherosclerotic occlusive peripheral arterial disease, and 149 had one or more extracardiovascular pathology. Two hundred and thirteen patients underwent monovalvular and 26 bivalvular replacement. Coronary bypass was associated in 25 cases. Eighteen patients (7.5%) died in the 30 days following surgery. The perioperative mortality was not significantly greater in patients with extra-cardiac pathology (9.4% vs 4.4%; NS), in patients with coronary artery disease (11.9% vs 5.8%; NS), in patients with respiratory failure and FEV1 < 1 litre (1 death out of 20 cases) or in patients with renal failure and serum creatinine levels > or = 175 mumol/l (20% vs 6.3%, NS). Respiratory failure was the only extra-cardiac variable identified with increased perioperative morbidity. The perioperative mortality of elderly patients with valvular heart disease is greater than that of patients under 70 years of age (6.4% vs 2.1%) in our experience of the last 6 years p < 0.01). Associated arterial and extra-cardiac pathology does not significantly increase the mortality and strict selection of elderly inoperable patients together with improved surgical techniques and postoperative care has considerably reduced perioperative morbidity and mortality in this group of patients.