Follow up of elderly patients after cardiac surgery and intensive care unit admission, 1991 to 1995.

AIMS: To examine the outcome of cardiac surgery and resulting intensive care admission in elderly (> or = 75 years) cardiac surgery patients at Waikato Hospital, 1991 to 1995. METHODS: Clinical records of all elderly cardiac surgery patients admitted to the intensive care unit were reviewed. All survivors were sent a postal questionnaire evaluating cardiac related symptom control and quality of life (QOL). Outcomes in the 'old' (75-79 years) and in the 'very old' (> or = 80 years) were compared. RESULTS: Seventeen of 97 patients had died. Mean survival time was 32.2 months. Survivor followup (100%) was at a mean of 34.8 months. Mean functional class (New York Heart Association or Canadian Cardiovascular Society) improved from 3.0 preoperatively to be 1.7. Cardioactive medications fell by a mean of 0.7 drugs per patient. Twenty-seven percent of survivors became more dependent as assessed by domicile type. Outcomes between the two groups were not different except for some improved individual changes in functional class. The 'very old' group have a similar postoperative QOL to that of the 'old' group. Ninety-two percent of survivors indicated that they would opt for cardiac surgery again if given the time over. CONCLUSIONS: Following cardiac surgery and intensive care admission at Waikato Hospital, surviving elderly patients have experienced a favourable outcome in terms of symptom control and quality of life. Mortality rates are acceptably low.