Coronary artery bypass surgery in older patients: psychiatric morbidity

Coronary artery bypass grafting in older patients usually results in a favorable surgical outcome. To assess whether age confers greater risk for postoperative psychiatric symptoms in these patients, we retrospectively examined 58 cases (mean age 62.5 years) comparing pertinent clinical features of the index patients to matched controls (mean age 51.7 years). Analysis of the data, including scores on preoperative and postoperative scales measuring anxiety, depression, and cognitive function, showed a statistically significant difference in the cognitive performance of the elderly as shown by lower scores on the Mini Mental State examination (chi-square, P less than .025). Our findings support future efforts to address the clinical relevance of cognitive dysfunction in older coronary bypass patients.