Survival and quality of life of octogenarians who underwent mechanical valve replacement at a younger age.

PURPOSE Mechanical valve replacement is associated with complications, however, there is little information on the quality of life (QOL) of octogenarians who had undergone mechanical valve replacement at a relatively younger age. We examined survival, valve-related events, and the QOL of octogenarians who had undergone mechanical valve replacement. METHODS A total of 56 octogenarians who underwent mechanical valve replacement between 1969 and 1997 (age at the time of surgery, 65.6 ± 6.7 years), completed a questionnaire on survival, valve-related events, and QOL (basic activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, mental health). RESULTS The mean follow-up was 12.4 ± 6.6 years, and the cumulative follow-up period was 642.4 patient-years. Six valve-related deaths (0.9%/patient-year) were registered during the follow-up. Furthermore, 11 valve-related events (1.8%/patient-year) were recorded. The mean age of the 21 survivors was 82.9 ± 1.8 years, and 19 of the survivors lived at home. Their QOL was excellent. CONCLUSION The valve-related deaths and events in octogenarians who had previously undergone mechanical valve replacement at a younger age were within acceptable limits. The QOL was similar to that of octogenarians described in previous studies.