Long-term results of coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly Japanese patients.
BACKGROUND
This study was undertaken to examine long-term results of coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly Japanese patients.


METHODS
Of 1,425 coronary artery bypass grafting patients over the last 13 years, 137 patients were 70 or more years old and 1,288 were less than 70 years old. Mean number of distal anastomoses was similar in both groups. Postoperative survival and event-free proportion were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier actuarial method and compared among the groups by Cox-Mantel statistical analysis.


RESULTS
Operative mortality and the incidence of late cardiac death after coronary artery bypass grafting were equivalent between the elderly and younger groups, although the rates of left main trunk disease, acute myocardial infarction, and emergency operation in the elderly group were significantly higher than those in the younger group. Coronary artery bypass grafting in elderly patients had a relatively high hospital mortality and more late noncardiac deaths, but the incidence of postoperative cardiac intervention in elderly patients was lower than that in younger patients.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that coronary artery bypass grafting for elderly patients is encouraged as well as is that for younger patients in a representative Japanese population.
Kitamura
M
M
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Heart Institute of Japan, Tokyo Women's Medical College, Japan.
Endo
M
M
Yamaki
F
F
Ohtsuka
G
G
Nishida
H
H
Koyanagi
H
H
D000206:Actuarial Analysis; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002423:Cause of Death; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome