Cardiac surgery in 260 octogenarians: a case series

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Cardiac Surgery

Background:

• Increasing frequency of cardiac surgery in the elderly population.
• Elderly patients often present with multiple comorbidities and unique physiological characteristics.
• Need to analyze outcomes of cardiac surgery in octogenarians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the experience of a referral cardiac surgery center.
• To evaluate all types of cardiac surgery interventions in patients aged 80 years and older.
• To assess outcomes and identify predictors of mortality in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study.
• Inclusion of 260 patients aged 80 years and older.
• Data collected over a six-year period at a university hospital.

Main Results:

• Mean age of patients was 82 ± 1.8 years.
• Aortic valve pathology and coronary artery bypass grafting were the most common interventions.
• Overall mortality was 3.9%, with significantly lower mortality in planned (3.8%) versus unplanned (14%) surgeries.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was the sole independent predictor of mortality.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac surgery can be safely performed in elderly patients (≥80 years).
• Mandatory risk stratification is essential for patient selection.
• Proactive hemodynamic management is crucial to prevent postoperative complications.