Cardiac Valve Surgery in Octogenarians: Improving Quality of Life and Functional Status

Background Although cardiac valve procedures are being performed more frequently in the elderly, long-term functional outcomes have not been well characterized. Objective To evaluate changes in quality of life and functional status in octogenarians after cardiac valve surgery. Design Retrospective medical record review and patient telephone interview. Median follow-up 30 months (range, 6-95 months). Setting Tertiary care university hospital. Patients Octogenarians undergoing cardiac valve surgery (N=61; mean age, 83.5 years; range, 80-89 years). Interventions Forty-seven patients had aortic valve replacement, 14 had mitral valve replacement and/or repair, and 27 had a combined procedure with coronary artery bypass grafting. Outcomes Actuarial survival, morbidity, length of hospital stay, and discharge disposition were evaluated. Functional status, using the New York Heart Association classification, and Karnofsky performance status were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 and 3 months after hospital discharge. Results Operative ( P P P Conclusion Although greater resource expenditure is required for the initial perioperative convalescence, octogenarians can be expected to have an excellent functional outcome and long-term performance status after cardiac valve surgery.