Preoperative and Intraoperative Factors Associated With Long-Term Survival in Octogenarian Cardiac Surgery Patients

Comparison of Aortic Gradient and Ventricular Mass after Valve Replacement for Aortic Stenosis with Rapid Deployment, Sutureless, and Conventional Bioprostheses

BACKGROUND

The use of rapid deployment and sutureless aortic prostheses is increasing. Previous reports have shown promising results on haemodynamic performance and mortality rates. However, the impact of these bioprostheses on left ventricular mass (LVM) regression remains unknown. We decided to study the changes in remodelling and LVM regression in isolated severe aortic stenosis treated with conventional or Perceval® or Intuity® valves.

METHOD AND RESULTS

From January 2011 to January 2016, 324 bioprostheses were implanted in our centre. The collected characteristics were divided into 3 groups: conventional valves, Perceval®, and Intuity®, and they were analysed after 12 months. There were 183 conventional valves (56%), 72 Perceval® (22%), and 69 Intuity® (21.2%). The statistical analysis showed significant differences in transprosthetic postoperative peak gradient (23 [18-29] mm Hg vs. 21 [16-29] mm Hg and 18 [14-24] mm Hg, p < 0.001), ventricular mass electrical criteria regression (Sokolow and Cornell products), and 1-year survival (90 vs. 93% and 97%, log rank p value = 0.04) in conventional, Perceval®, and Intuity® groups.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed differences in haemodynamic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters related to the different types of prosthesis. Patients with the Intuity® prosthesis had the highest reduction in peak aortic gradient and the higher ventricular mass regression. Besides, patients with the Intuity® prosthesis had less risk of mortality during follow-up than the other two groups. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Long-term survival after surgical aortic valve replacement in patients aged 80 years and over

 

OBJECTIVES

Surgical aortic valve replacement can be safely performed in people aged 80 years and older with early benefits on both symptomatic and prognostic ground. While new approaches are advocated to treat this elderly and frail population, data on long-term outcomes are not available.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1870 patients aged 80 years and over who underwent first time surgical aortic valve replacement during the period 2000-2019. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival and comparisons among groups were performed by log-rank test. Cox analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for late mortality.

RESULTS

The patients' mean age was 84 years and 53% were male. Isolated aortic valve replacement was performed in 42% of the patients, and coronary artery bypass grafting (n = 956), mitral valve (n = 94) or aortic surgery (n = 69) were associated in the remaining cases. One hundred eighty-one patients (8%) sustained at least 1 postoperative complication (reopening for bleeding or tamponade 3%, renal replacement therapy 3%, new cerebral stroke 1.5%). In-hospital mortality was 3.2% in the overall population (60/1870) and 2.2% after isolated aortic valve replacement (18/790). Survival was 90%, 66%, 31% and 14% at 1, 5, 10 and 15 years, respectively, and was similar to the expected survival of a sex- and age-matched population (log-rank P = 0.96). A complicated postoperative course was an independent risk factor for mortality during the follow-up [hazard ratio 1.32 (1.03, 1.68), P = 0.026].

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical aortic valve replacement can be performed with an acceptable early mortality rate and provides excellent long-term survival in people aged 80 years and older.

Age-dependent trends in postoperative mortality and preoperative comorbidity in isolated coronary artery bypass surgery: a nationwide study

OBJECTIVES

An increasing number of octogenarians are being subjected to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The purpose of this study was to examine age-dependent trends in postoperative mortality and preoperative comorbidity over time following CABG.

METHODS

All patients who underwent isolated CABG surgery between January 1996 and December 2012 in Denmark were included. Patients were identified through nationwide administrative registers. Age was categorized into five different groups and time into three periods to see if mortality and preoperative comorbidity had changed over time. Predictors of 30-day mortality were analysed in a multivariable Cox proportional-hazard models and survival at 1 and 5 years was estimated by Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULTS

A total of 38 830 patients were included; the median age was 65.4 ± 9.5 years, increasing over time to 66.6 ± 9.5 years. Males comprised 80%. The number of octogenarians was 1488 (4%). The median survival was 14.7 years (60-69 years), 10.7 years (70-74 years), 8.9 years (75-79 years) and 7.2 years (≥80 years). The 30-day mortality rate was 3%, increasing with age (1% in patients <60 years, 8% in octogenarians). The long-term mortality rate at 1 and 5 years was 2 and 7% (age <60 years) and 14 and 36% (age >80 years), respectively. The proportion of patients >75 years increased from 10 to 20% during the study period as well as the proportion of patients undergoing urgent or emergency surgery. The burden of comorbidities increased over time, e.g. congestive heart failure 13-17%, diabetes 12-21%, stroke 9-11%, in all age groups. Age and emergency surgery were the main predictors of 30-day mortality: age >80 years [hazard ratio (HR): 5.75, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.41-7.50], emergency surgery (HR: 5.23, 95% CI: 4.38-6.25).

CONCLUSION

Patients are getting older at the time of surgery and have a heavier burden of comorbidities than before. The proportion of patients undergoing urgent or emergency surgery increased with age and over time. Despite this, the 30-day mortality decreased over time and long-term survival increased, except in octogenarians where it was stable. Octogenarians had substantially higher 30-day mortality compared with younger patients but surgery can be performed with acceptable risks and good long-term outcomes.

Factors influencing prolonged ICU stay after open heart surgery

Background:

There are different risk factors that affect the intensive care unit (ICU) stay after cardiac surgery.

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to evaluate possible risk factors influencing prolonged ICU stay in a large referral hospital.

Patients and Methods:

We conducted a case-control study to determinate causes of prolonged ICU stay in 280 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a tertiary care center for cardiovascular patients, Tehran, Iran. These patients were divided into two groups according to ICU stay ≤ 96 and > 96 hours. We evaluated perioperative risk factors of ICU stay > 96 hours.

Results:

Among the 280 patients studied, 184 (65.7%) had stayed ≤ 96 hours and 96 (34.3%) had stayed > 96 hours in ICU. Frequency of prolonged ICU stay was 34.2% in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), 30.8% in patients with valve surgery, and 44.8% in patients with CABG plus valve surgery. Patients with > 96 hours of ICU stay received more blood transfusion and intravenous inotropes. They also had longer anesthesia, cardiopulmonary bypass, and postoperative intubation time. There were higher incidence of postoperative tamponade, re-exploration, re-intubation, hemodialysis, and hypotension in this group (P < 0.05 for all comparisons).

Conclusions:

In this study, about one-third of patients had prolonged ICU stay. Factors influencing prolonged ICU stay were medical and some non-medical factors. In the present study, up to 30% of the patients had a prolonged ICU stay of > 96 hours. Additional data from well-designed investigations are needed for further assessment of the factors influencing prolonged ICU stay after cardiac surgery.

The validity of the VA surgical risk tool in predicting postoperative mortality among octogenarians

BACKGROUND

To examine the validity of Veterans Affair-VA risk assessment tool in predicting the perioperative and overall mortality among octogenarians.

METHODS

This is a single-institution retrospective observational study, in which the clinical information of 1,618 octogenarians were extracted from the VA Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. VA risk assessment tool and ASA classification were used to predict the probability of postoperative mortality and morbidity. Multiple risk groups were compared for mortality using multiple logistic regressions.

RESULTS

There were 570 survivors and 1,048 nonsurvivors. VA risk tool strongly predicted perioperative 30-day mortality in receiver operator characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve: .82 ± .02). The power of this tool, while acceptable, was less in predicting overall mortality (area under the curve: .68 ± .01). Age, dialysis, a history of congestive heart failure, functional status, transfusion, and weight loss were also associated with increased rate of death within 30 days.

CONCLUSIONS

VA risk tool predicted both perioperative and overall mortality. Relatively strong power of this tool in predicting overall mortality may be unique to this age group because of their advanced age.

Geriatric cardiac surgery: chronology vs. biology

Cardiac surgery is increasingly performed in elderly patients, and whilst the incidence of common risk factors associated with poorer outcome increases with age, recent studies suggest that outcomes in this population may be better than is widely appreciated. As such, in this review we have examined the current evidence for common cardiac surgical procedures in patients aged over 70 years. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the elderly has similar early safety to percutaneous intervention, though repeat revascularisation is lower. Totally avoiding instrumentation of the ascending aorta with off-pump techniques may also reduce the incidence of neurological injury. Aortic valve replacement (AVR) significantly improves quality of life and provides excellent short- and long-term outcomes. Combined AVR and CABG carries higher risk but late survival is still excellent. Mini-sternotomy AVR in the elderly can provide comparable survival to full-sternotomy AVR. More accurate risk stratification systems are needed to appropriately select patients for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Mitral valve repair is superior to replacement in the elderly, although choosing the most effective method is important for achieving maximal quality of life. Minimally-invasive mitral valve surgery in the elderly has similar postoperative outcomes to sternotomy-based surgery, but reduces hospital length of stay and return to activity. In operative candidates, surgical repair is superior to percutaneous repair. Current evidence indicates that advanced age alone is not a predictor of mortality or morbidity in cardiac surgery. Thus surgery should not be overlooked or denied to the elderly solely on the basis of their "chronological age", without considering the patient's true "biological age".

Aortic valve replacement in octogenarians

BACKGROUND

With improved life expectancy more octogenarians now present with aortic valve disease. Cardiac surgery in this group of patients has previously been considered high risk due to co-morbidities and challenges of rehabilitation. This study seeks to challenge the concept of octogenarian cardiac surgery "unsuitability" by analysing operative outcomes and long term survival following aortic valve replacement.

METHODS

Eighty-seven consecutive patients undergoing aortic valve replacement between 2000 and 2009 at St Vincent's Hospital were retrospectively identified. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 15 and 19).

RESULTS

The average age was 82.7 ± 2.4 years. The mean logistic EuroSCORE was 18.86 ± 14.11. Post-operatively, four patients required insertion of a permanent pacemaker (4.6%) and five patients had a myocardial infarction (5.8%). In-hospital mortality was 3.4%. Follow-up was 93.1% complete. One-year survival was 92.9%, three-year survival was 86.7% and five-year survival was 75.0%. At follow-up 98.1% of patients were New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class I or II.

CONCLUSIONS

Results were excellent despite reasonable co-morbidities and Euroscore risk. Survival was impressive and the NYHA class reflected the success of the surgery in relieving the pathological aortic valve process. Patient age should not be the primary exclusion for cardiac surgery for aortic valve disease.

Cognitive impairment before and six months after cardiac surgery increase mortality risk at median 11 year follow-up: a cohort study

BACKGROUND

The additive effects of cognitive impairment and depression on mortality risk after cardiac surgery are unknown.

METHODS

Patients were assessed on a battery of six neurocognitive measures before cardiac surgery (N = 521) and at six month follow up (N = 377/521, 72.4%). Cognitive impairment classification was based on cognitive test scores 1 SD below age and sex matched normative data, and classified according to amnestic, non-amnestic and mixed cognitive impairment subtypes. Survival analyses entered cognitive impairment subtypes and depression interactions terms adjusted for 12 common risk factors.

RESULTS

There were 5407 person years for analysis (median 11.1 year survival, interquartile range of 7.9 to 13.1) and 176 deaths (33.8%) by the census date. Before cardiac surgery, patients with a mixed-cognitive impairment (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 2.53; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.57-4.06, p<.001) and non-amnestic cognitive impairment (adjusted HR = 1.51; 95%, 1.00-2.32, p = .05) were at greater mortality risk. Six month analyses corroborated that the mixed-cognitive impairment group were at higher mortality risk (adjusted HR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.30-4.25, p = .005). When change in neurocognitive functioning over time was analyzed, a higher mortality risk was evident only amongst patients with cognitive impairment evident at baseline and six months (adjusted HR = 1.83; 95% CI, 1.08-3.10, p = .03). No cognition by depression interaction term was significant.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that a mixed cognitive impairment subtype, and continuing cognitive impairment before and six months after cardiac surgery, is associated with long term mortality, independent of depression and common risk factors.

Completeness of revascularization and survival among octogenarians with triple-vessel disease

BACKGROUND

We sought to determine the impact of the completeness of surgical revascularization among octogenarians with triple-vessel disease.

METHODS

Between 1992 and 2008, 476 consecutive patients aged 80 years or more who underwent primary isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures were identified. Early and late survival were compared among patients who underwent complete revascularization (CR, n=391) and incomplete revascularization (IR, n=85). IR was present when 1 or more of the 3 main coronary arteries with 50% or greater stenosis that were identified preoperatively as a surgical target by the operating surgeon were not grafted. The mean follow-up was 5.4±3.0 years (maximum 15.3 years).

RESULTS

Baseline risk was similar between the 2 groups of patients. IR was more frequent in off-pump compared with on-pump CABG (34.9% versus 16.2%, respectively; p=0.002). The most common reason for IR was small or severely diseased arteries (87%). The incidence of postoperative myocardial infarction (MI) was similar in both groups (CR, 18.4% versus IR, 17.3%; p=0.81). In-hospital mortality was 7.2% among patients with CR and 4.7% among patients with IR (p=0.60). Three, 5-, and 8-year freedom from all-cause mortality among patients who underwent CR were 89.2%, 74.1%, and 54.3%, respectively, and were not significantly different from those patients who underwent IR (86.6%, 74.5%, and 49.4%, respectively) (p=0.40).

CONCLUSIONS

In octogenarians with triple-vessel disease, a strategy of incomplete revascularization during CABG does not negatively impact early or long-term survival.

Coronary artery surgery in octogenarians: evolving strategies for the improvement in early and late results

The purpose of this study was to investigate retrospectively early and late outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in a large series of octogenarians. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 241 octogenarian patients who underwent CABG between April 2002 and April 2009 at our institution. Mean age was 84.7 ± 1.8 years. Patients affected by concomitant coexistent organic aortic, mitral, or tricuspid valve disease were excluded from the study. Patients with functional secondary ischemic mitral incompetence were included in the study. The majority of the patients were male. Angina pectoris functional class III/IV accounted for 164 patients (68%). Left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% was diagnosed in 38 patients (15.8%). Early mortality rate was 5.8% (14 patients). Causes of death were cardiac related in 10 patients. Preoperative independent predictors of in-hospital mortality obtained with multivariate analysis were extracardiac arteriopathy, New York Heart Association class III/IV, and previous percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The overall mean follow-up was 41.6 ± 25.9 months (range 1-87.6 months). Among the 222 contacted survivors, there were 16 (7.2%) deaths during the follow-up. The actuarial survival was 91.9% at 1 year and 83.5% at 5 years. On multivariate analysis, time to late death was adversely affected by preoperative extracardiac arteriopathy and previous PTCA. Advanced age alone should not be a deterrent for CABG if it has been determined that the benefits outweigh the potential risk. A careful selection of optimal candidates, based on the evaluation of their systemic comorbidities, appears mandatory in order to obtain the greatest benefit for these high-risk patients.

Critical analysis of early and late outcomes after isolated coronary artery bypass surgery in elderly patients

BACKGROUND

The proportion of elderly (≥80 years) patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is increasing.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of data, collected by the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons Cardiac Surgery Database Program between June 2001 and December 2009 was performed. Isolated CABG was performed in 21,534 patients; of these, 1,664 (7.7%) were at least 80 years old (group 1). Patient characteristics, morbidity, and short-term mortality of these patients were compared with those aged less than 80 years (group 2). The long-term outcome of group 1 patients after CABG surgery was compared with an age and sex-matched Australian population.

RESULTS

Patients over 80 years old were more likely to be female (36.6% vs 17.3%, p < 0.001) and presented significantly more often with heart failure, hypertension, and triple-vessel disease (all p < 0.05). The 30-day mortality was higher in group 1 patients (4.2% vs 1.5%, p < 0.001). Group 1 patients also had an increased risk of complications, including prolonged (>24 hours) ventilation (14.2% vs 8.2%, p < 0.001), renal failure (7.3% vs 3.4%, p < 0.001), and mean intensive care unit stay (60.7 vs 42.5 hours, p < 0.001). The 5-year survival of elderly patients (73%) was comparable with the age-matched Australian population. Independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in group 1 patients included preoperative renal failure (p = 0.010), congestive heart failure (p = 0.014), and a nonelective procedure (p = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly patients who undergo isolated CABG have significantly lower perioperative risks than have been previously reported. The long-term survival of these patients is comparable with an age-adjusted population.

Is off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting superior to conventional bypass in octogenarians?

OBJECTIVE

Selected patients appear to benefit from off-pump coronary artery bypass compared with conventional coronary artery bypass with cardiopulmonary bypass. It is unknown whether elderly patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting operations derive any benefit when performed off-pump. We hypothesized that off-pump coronary bypass offers a greater operative benefit to elderly patients when compared with conventional coronary artery bypass.

METHODS

A total of 1993 elderly patients (age ≥ 80 years) underwent isolated, primary coronary artery bypass graft operations at 16 different statewide centers from 2003 to 2008. Patients were stratified into 2 groups: conventional coronary artery bypass (n = 1589, age = 82.5 ± 2.4 years) and off-pump bypass (n = 404, age = 83.0 ± 2.4 years). Preoperative risk, intraoperative findings, postoperative complications, and costs were evaluated.

RESULTS

Patients undergoing off-pump bypass grafting were marginally older (P = .001) and had higher rates of preoperative atrial fibrillation (14.6% vs 10.0%; P = .01) and New York Heart Association class IV heart failure (29.7% vs 21.1%; P < .001) than did those having conventional coronary bypass grafting. Other patient risk factors and operative variables, including Society of Thoracic Surgeons predicted risk of mortality, were similar in both groups (P = .15). Compared with off-pump bypass, conventional coronary bypass incurred higher blood transfusion rates (2.0 ± 1.7 units vs 1.6 ± 1.9 units; P = .05) as well as more postoperative atrial fibrillation (28.4% vs 21.5%; P = .003), prolonged ventilation (14.7% vs 11.4%; P = .05), and major complications (20.1% vs 15.6%; P = .04). Importantly, postoperative stroke (2.6% vs 1.7%; P = .21), renal failure (8.1% vs 6.2%; P = .12), and postoperative length of stay (P = .41) were no different between groups. Despite more complications in patients having conventional bypass, operative mortality (P = .53) and hospital costs (P = .43) were similar to those of patients having off-pump procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Performance of coronary artery bypass grafting among octogenarian patients is safe and effective. Off-pump coronary artery bypass confers shorter postoperative ventilation but equivalent mortality to conventional coronary artery bypass. Off-pump coronary artery bypass was associated with a reduction in the composite incidence of major complications in unadjusted and adjusted analyses and should be considered an acceptable alternative to conventional bypass for myocardial revascularization in elderly patients.

Short-term and long-term outcomes of octogenarians after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery

PURPOSE

Off-pump coronary artery bypass has been reported to be associated with reduced morbidity and mortality after surgical coronary revascularization, especially in high-risk patients. The aim of this study was to clarify the efficacy of off-pump coronary artery bypass for the very elderly patients.

METHODS

We compared the outcomes of octogenarians (n = 28, 82 ± 2 years) undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass and those of the patients <80 years of age (n = 315, 67 ± 9 years) during short- and long-term periods.

RESULTS

There was no difference in hospital mortality between octogenarians and the younger cohort (3.8% vs. 0.6%; P = 0.11). A high rate of postoperative complications (e.g., pneumonia, transient renal dysfunction, ventricular arrhythmia) were observed in the octogenarians. The long-term survival (81% at 5 years) and the rate of freedom from cardiac death (92% at 5 years) and from cardiac events (85% at 5 years) were excellent in the octogenarians; they appeared less favorable, however, when compared with the younger group (95%, 98%, and 94% at 5 years, respectively). Most of the cardiac adverse events, including unexplained sudden death, occurred 6 months after the surgery in octogenarians.

CONCLUSION

Off-pump coronary artery bypass can be performed safely in octogenarians, with excellent early and late outcomes. Careful postoperative follow-up is required to reduce postoperative long-term adverse events. Off-pump coronary artery bypass is a feasible modality of coronary revascularization for octogenarians.