Cardiac Surgery in the Elderly

Abstract

Cardiac disease is one of the most common chronic conditions among adults and is the leading cause of death with advancing age. As people age, the incidence, prevalence, and severity of cardiac disease progress. Surgical management is often indicated with the progression of coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and aortic disease. As a result, over half of cardiac surgical procedures are performed in patients over 70 years of age. Outcome data indicates that surgical management of coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, and aortic disease in the elderly is safe with low associated mortality and preservation of quality of life. These findings hold true in well-selected octogenarians and nonagenarians.