Surgical Treatment of Aortic Stenosis in Patients Aged 70 Years and Older

Background. In recent years, aortic valve stenosis in the elderly is increasing. To determine the treatment of aortic stenosis in the elderly, we retrospectively evaluated the patients who underwent aortic valve replacement. Method. Between 1992 and 1997, 22 patients older than 70 years underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. There were 15 women and 7 men, with a mean age of 73.0±4.0 years. Seven patients underwent concomitant procedures: 5 patients required coronary artery bypass grafts, 1 mitral valve plasty and 1 aortic root plasty. SJM prosthetic valves of sizes 19mm, 21mm and 23mm were used in 11, 8 and 3 patients respectively. Nobody underwent aortic annuloenlargement. Three patients underwent supraannular aortic valve replacement. All patients had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV symptoms. Results. There was no operative or hospital death. Five patients had atrial fibrillation after operation. There was only one late death, due to a traffic accident, and there was no significant complication during the follow up period. Of the 22, 21 patients improved to NYHA class I or II after operation. There were significant differences between patients who were 70 years or more and those under 70. BSA in these two groups were 1.495 and 1.615m2; p