Quality of Life in Octogenarians Undergoing Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement

Objective: The assessment of quality of life in the elderly should be considered when analysing the benefits of any therapeutic intervention. The aim was to analyse the quality of life in octogenarians undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. Methods: We conducted an observational and descriptive study from January 2006 to July 2008. One-hundredthree Caucasians patients over 80 years of age undergoing aortic-valve replacement were followed-up. Three successive telephone interviews were conducted using the EuroQol-5D questionnaire. The first was made in August 2009, the second in February 2011 and the third in February 2013. An age and gender matched group of 166 people served as controls. Categorical variables were compared using McNemar's test. Continuous variables were analysed using Student's test. Comparisons with the control group were performed using Student's t-test. A Chi squared test was used to identify the profile of patients who benefitted most from surgery. Results: Significant differences were observed in the areas of mobility, usual activities and pain. A significant improvement was also observed in the VAS and the EQ-5D index. Compared with controls, significant improvement in VAS score was observed in females, and this difference was maintained at the final survey. Patients had significantly lower EQ-5 D indices than controls. Conclusion: We conclude that aortic valve replacement leads to a significant improvement in subjective quality of life. However, this improvement was not evident for objective health items. Thus, patients remain different from controls in terms of VAS and the EQ-5D index scores.