2Başkent Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Halk Sağlığı Anabilim Dalı ANKARA
3Diyarbakır Askeri Hastanesi Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi DİYARBAKIR
4Medicana International Ankara Hastanesi Anestezi ANKARA Introduction: Increased longevity of the population leads to more elderly patients demanding healthcare in cardiac surgery. There is still skepticism on the topic of cardiac interventions performed in the elderly. Our study aimed to compare postoperative variables in patients aged 80 years or less with octogenarians by use of propensity score matching.
Materials and Method: Subjects were 1253 patients who underwent heart surgery in Central Anatolia in the same cardiac center. Propensity score matching was used to discriminate the influence of age on preoperative variables. Morbidity and mortality of 32 patients aged ≥80 and 1221 patients aged ≤79 were compared.
Results: After propensity score matching each group had 32 patients who were matched on all baseline preoperative characteristics. Arrhythmias occurred more frequently in the older age group. Intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, number of blood and blood products transfused, postoperative complications and mortality rates were similar in both groups.
Conclusion: The two age groups had similar morbidity and mortality. Advanced age does not result in worse outcome after cardiac surgery when compared with a propensity score matched younger age group. In carefully selected patients over 80 years of age, cardiac surgery can be performed safely.
Keywords : Aged; 80 and Over; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Propensity Score