Postoperative Outcome of High-Risk Octogenarians Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Multicenter Observational Retrospective Study

Abstract

Purpose: Cardiac surgery in octogenarians with severely deteriorated functional status is increasingly common, but outcome data are still limited. The aim of this study was to compare postoperative outcome, survival, and quality of life of low-, medium-, and high-risk octogenarians undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: In all, 285 Czech octogenarians who underwent any cardiac surgical procedure between January 2011 and December 2012 were included in the study. Five out of all twelve national adult cardiac surgical centers participated in the study, representing almost half of all octogenarians operated in our country in that period. Patients’ perioperative data were analyzed retrospectively. Follow-up was performed by interviewing patients by telephone.

Results: There was higher 30-day mortality (20% vs. 6.4% vs. 5.2%, respectively, p <0.001), lower 2-year survival (60% vs. 84.0% vs. 85.4%, respectively, p <0.05), and lower Karnofsky score (44.4 vs. 70.1 vs. 70.6, respectively, p <0.001) in high-risk group compared with medium- and low-risk groups, respectively. Greater improvement in New York Heart Association (NYHA) status was noted in high- and medium-risk groups compared with low-risk group (51% vs. 45% vs. 24%, respectively, p <0.05).

Conclusion: High perioperative mortality, poor 2-year survival, and low postoperative quality of life have been observed in high-risk octogenarians undergoing cardiac surgery.