Cardiac surgery in the elderly: indications and management options to optimize outcomes.
The elderly have increasingly benefited from the advances in cardiac surgical techniques and perioperative care. Compared to the same procedures in younger patients their operations can be more technically demanding and their level of reserve leaves less margin should complications occur. The importance of using realistic indications for operations with a focus on improving the quality of their lives and of optimal preoperative preparation of patients is emphasized.
Conti
Vincent
V
Department of Surgery, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA. vconti@utmb.edu
Lick
Scott D
SD
D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology