title: [Cardiac surgery in elderly patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare morbidity and mortality of cardiac surgery patients according to age below or above 75 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2,470 consecutive patients admitted to our Intensive Medicine Unit between November 2000 and December 2005 who were in the immediate postoperative period after cardiac surgery. Of these patients, 1,983 were younger than 75 years and 497 were older than 75 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia), EuroSCORE (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation) and logistic EuroSCORE, length of stay, mortality, complications during Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In-hospital mortality of patients older than 74 years was significantly higher (9.2% versus 4.2%, p < 0.05). The morbidity of patients over 74 years of age was also significantly higher (EuroSCORE 8.2 +/- 2.7 versus 4.9 +/- 3.3, p < 0.001). Both ICU stay and hospital stay were significantly higher in those over 74 years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our series both morbidity and mortality were higher in those older than 74 years of age group, which entails worse results in cardiac surgery of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Intensiva. Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol. Badalona. Barcelona. España. msjust@gmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Just
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tomasa
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marcos
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bordejé
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Torrabadella
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Moltó
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Castro
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors