Cardiac surgery in octogenarians

In Europe and North America, cardiac surgery can be done successfully on octogenarians, but differences in patient selection, surgical and bypass techniques prevent us from concluding similarly in Pakistan. This study investigated the short and long-term outcomes of cardiac surgery in octogenarians operated over a 5 years period at The Aga Khan University Hospital, from January 2001 to December 2006. Seventeen octogenarians, (mean age 81.7 ± 2.3) underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Thirty-days hospital mortality was reported in only 1 patient. Surgical complication of any kind was reported in 13 (76.5%) patients with pleural effusion being the commonest in hospital complication seen in 11 (64.7%) patients. About 13 (92.9%) patients were satisfied with the results of the surgery and reported post-surgery improvement in quality of their life. Cardiac surgery has an important role in the management of elderly patients with medically refractory cardiac symptoms, but the implications of widespread cardiac surgery in the elderly need to be addressed.