A retrospective analysis involving seventy-year-old patients as well as those over seventy who have undergone CABG as a single procedure, during Jannuary 1992 to December 1997, was carried out with the purpose of assessing their morbidity with mortality. Of the 144 patients, 92 (63.9%) were males, aged 70 to 84 (average age 73.51 and standard deviation 2.82). Most of those, 114 (79.16%), suffered from angina belonging to the functional class III or IV. The occurrence in the pre-operative period of obesity (p = 0.004), heart failure (III/IV class - p = 0.03) and/or acute myocardial infection (less than 21 days - p = 0.01) demonstrated a definite relationship with mortality. There were 120 (83.34%) patients with lesions in three or more vessels (average 3.48 anastomoses/patients).The pediculate internal mammary artery was employed in 126 patients (87.5%) and that rate increased to 98.9% in the last two years. The main complications in the post-operation period leading to death were either infections (p < 0.0001), prolonged ventilatory support (p < 0.0001), renal failure with dialysis (p < 0.0001) and/or low cardiac output (p = 0.003). As to statistical analysis the Student T test, the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used. Surgical mortality totalling 5.5% (8/144) in the first thirty post-operative days decreased to 1.53% (1/65) in the last two years. Coronary artery bypass graft in the elderly can be a procedure with low morbidity and mortality if their body systems are carefully evaluated.
Myocardial revascularization; Myocardial revascularization; Myocardial revascularization; Retrospective studies
