Hospital and mid-term outcomes in elderly patients under-going off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting--comparison with younger patients--.

Background: Clinical outcomes and problems following off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) in elderly patients have not been clarified.

Methods And Results: The surgical results of elderly patients aged 75 years or older (n=50; 38 males, mean age, 78.8 years) were reviewed and compared with those of younger patients (n=95; 79 males, mean age, 63.0 years). The EuroSCORE score was 6.9+/-3.5 in the elderly group and 3.0+/-2.4 in the younger group (p<0.0001). There were no hospital deaths in either group. There was no significant difference in the postoperative complication rate except for atrial fibrillation (40.0% elderly vs 24.2% younger, p=0.0479). Postoperative intensive care unit and hospital stays did not differ. The frequency of blood transfusion was significantly higher in the elderly group (78.0% elderly vs 37.2% younger, p<0.0001). During the mean follow-up of 18.6+/-8.8 months, there was 1 sudden death in the elderly group, but no cardiac deaths in either group. The 32-month cardiac event-free and survival rates were similar for the 2 groups.

Conclusion: OPCAB provides satisfactory clinical outcomes for elderly as well as younger patients.