[Coronary artery bypass grafting in the elderly patients: anesthesia and postoperative period]

The objective of the present work was to clarify whether the advanced age of the patients with chronic coronary heart disease may be a precipitating factor with respect to anesthesia and aortocoronary/mammarocoronary bypass grafting surgery. The study group was comprised of 34 patients at the age from 66 to 75 years. The control group consisted of 38 patients aged between 60 and 65 years. The two groups were matched for a variety of characteristics. The overall intrahospital lethality rate was estimated at 1.39% (including one patient from the control group). The patients of the study group were characterized by higher functional classes of angina and cardiac failure in conjunction with lower myocardial contractile reserve. The duration of aortic compression, artificial blood circulation, inotropic support, and artificial lung ventilation was greater in the study group than in the control one even though the total duration of the hospital stay was similar. It is concluded that the surgical treatment of elderly patients presenting with chronic coronary heart disease has beneficial outcome in the early postoperative period; for this reason, the advanced age is not a contraindication for the surgical intervention on such patients.