Outcomes and Predictors of Mortality After Mitral Valve Surgery in High-Risk Elderly Patients: The Heidelberg Experience

BACKGROUND: Overall, life expectancy at the age of 80 has significantly increased in the industrialized world and the proportion of this age class undergoing cardiac surgery has also grown. In this context, we have analyzed a contemporary series of octogenarians undergoing mitral valve surgery at our institution. MATERIAL/METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 138 consecutive octogenarians receiving mitral valve surgery between January 2006 and April 2017. Preoperative comorbidities, early mortality, postoperative clinical course, and predictors of mortality were examined. RESULTS: The mean age was 82.4±2.0 years and 50% (n=69) were male. Preoperative comorbidities included history of heart infarction (24.6%, n=34), chronic renal failure (37.7%, n=52), and COPD (27.5%, n=38). A total of 52.9% (n=73) had a history of previous cardiac decompensation, while 20 (14.5%) presented with cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. In all, 33 patients (23.9%) underwent emergency surgery. There were only 39 isolated mitral valve procedures, while 99 patients (71.7%) underwent various concomitant procedures. The intensive care unit average length of stay was 5.3±7.5 days. Respiratory complications and sepsis were the most frequent postoperative complications. Emergency surgery and concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting were the most important predictors of early mortality. The overall 30-day mortality was 18.1% (n=25). The mean follow-up time was 1.7±2.3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Octogenarians are increasingly represented in cardiac surgery and combined procedures. Prudent patient selection is necessary for optimizing postoperative outcomes among the elderly. In our seriously ill octogenarian cohort, mitral valve surgery was associated with moderate but acceptable mid-term survival.