Degenerative aortic stenosis is the most common structural heart valve disease affecting the aging population. Catheter-based heart valve interventions are less invasive and very useful for very elderly patients. However, we often consider open heart surgery for these patients because of anatomical reasons and co-existing cardiac diseases, i.e., severe coronary artery disease. We aimed to analyze the outcomes of very elderly patients aged ≥ 85 years undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) with or without coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Twenty-nine very elderly patients aged ≥ 85 years who underwent AVR with CABG (n = 11, Group AC) or isolated AVR (n = 18, Group A) were examined. The overall mean age of the patients was 87.2 ± 2.6 (range 85-94) years. The estimated operative mortality rate, calculated using the Japan score, EuroSCORE II, and STS risk score, was 5.72%-10.88% in Group AC and 5.63%-8.30% in Group A. Aortic cross-clamp time (126.5 ± 29.0 vs. 96.9 ± 29.2 min, p = 0.016) was significantly longer in Group AC than in Group A. Although the major morbidity rate was higher in Group AC than in Group A (36% vs. 6%, p = 0.0336), the length of intensive care unit stay and hospital stay was comparable between both groups. There was no 30-day and hospital mortality in both groups. Eleven patients died during follow-up (senility, 5; cerebrovascular events, 2; renal failure, 1; unknown, 3). There were no significant differences in survival rates during follow-up (log-rank p value = 0.1051). The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year survival rates were 91%, 80%, 69%, 69% and 69%, respectively, in Group AC and 94%, 94%, 94%, 94% and 88%, respectively, in Group A. In conclusion, AVR with or without CABG could be safely performed in carefully selected very elderly patients with acceptable early- and long-term results. AVR with CABG in very elderly patients aged ≥ 85 offers similar results to isolated AVR in terms of 30-day mortality, hospital mortality, and long-term survival.
Keywords: Aortic valve replacement; Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting; Outcome; Very elderly patients.