[Surgical results of elderly patients with valvular heart disease in acute surgical stage and late follow-up].

: Surgical and late follow-up results were compared between 40 elderly patients over 70-years-old (group I) and 43 patients aged from 65 to 69-years-old (group II) with acquired valvular heart disease. There was one hospital death in group I, and two hospital deaths in group II. There was no difference between group I and group II in the rate of hospital mortality of the occurrence of the surgical complications. Postoperative respiratory failure did not occur even in the elderly patients with preoperatively impaired vital capacity (%VC below 60%). Postoperative cardiac function after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis in elderly patients more significantly improved in comparison with preoperative function. Survival rate was 62% in group I and 78% in group II from actual survival curve at 9 year after surgery by Kaplan-Meier method. Late survival rate and cardiac event free rate were not significantly different between group I and II. Surgical results in elderly patients with valvular heart disease were satisfactory.