[Coronary surgery in elderly patients. In-hospital and long-term results]

Abstract

Background: Taking into account the steady increase in the number of elderly patients requiring coronary artery bypass grafting, we sought to analyze the in-hospital and long-term evolution of a group of elderly patients (>/= 75 years) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, and to identify clinical predictors of mortality and long-term symptoms.

Methods: Between April 1996 and February 2000, 207 patients older than 75 years of age who had undergone coronary bypass grafting were prospectively and consecutively analyze. Mean age was 78.4 +/- 2.7.

Results: An average of 2.6 grafts/patients was constructed. Left mammary artery was used in 93% of patients. The in-hospital incidence of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, preoperative infarction and stroke was 38%, 29%, 4.8% and 2.8% respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.8%. Mean follow-up was 18 months (25th an 75th percentiles 9-29). Late mortality rate was 4.1% in eight patients. Excluding the in-hospital deaths, the estimated probability of survival (Kaplan-Meier) at 3 years was 94% and the survival freedom from symptoms was 86%. A multivariate analysis showed that only age was predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR 1.16, p = 0.009). Only peripheral vascular disease was found as a predictor of symptoms during the long-term follow-up (p = 0.001).

Conclusions: In this series of senile patients who underwent coronary surgery, those of an older age (> 80 years) showed a higher risk of in-hospital mortality. The presence of peripheral vascular disease is useful in the prognosis assessment of the group.