Turkish Journal of
GERIATRICS

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Göğüs, Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı Isparta An increasing number of elderly patients are now requiring open heart surgery. However, due to a perceived increase in risk of morbidity and mortality following cardiac surgery, many elderly patients tend to be neglected or not referred for surgery. The primary determinants of the success of cardiac operations are events in the operating room. However, some elderly patients who are seriously ill when they leave the operating room can survive and have good long-term results when postoperative care is appropriate and intensive. Care early after open cardiac operation is complicated by the whole body inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass. In the human ageing process, many changes are seen in all systems of the body. Use of protocols is facilitated by considering the elderly patients to be a complex integrated system composed of a number of separate but interrelated subsystem (i.e., cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, nervous, and alimentary). We believe that, open heart surgery can be performed by safety in the elderly patients. Majority of patients can be symptom free and comfortable with good quality of survival. However, this success is highly dependent on well organized, skillful and appropriate intensive care early after open heart surgical procedures. Keywords : Open heart surgery, Elderly, Geriatrics, Intensive care unit, Intensive therapy