Cardiac operations in patients aged 70 years and over: Mortality, length of stay, and hospital charge

hospital mortality was 40 (6.4%). During this time the 30-day mortality for all adult patients less than 70 years old was 49 of 1787 (2.7%; p < 0.003) and the hospital mortality was 59 (3.3%; p < 0.001). The mean length of postoperative hospital stay (days ± standard error) in all surviving patients aged 70 years and over was 11.6 ± 0.4 days, compared with 8.5 ± 0.2 days in patients less than 70 years old (p < 0.001). Over the time of the study the length of stay in patients less than 70 years old declined from 9.6 ± 0.4 to 7.2 ± 0.6 days, whereas it stayed the same for elderly patients. The 30-day mortality and length of stay increased with the risk category of the Parsonnet model. The mean hospital charge for patients aged 70 and over was 114% of that for younger patients. Conclusions. Although mortality, length of stay, and hospital charge are increased in patients 70 years of age and over, they are not excessively so. The results support the continued performance of cardiac surgical procedures in select elderly patients.