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Aims: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is being increasingly performed on elderly patients with acceptable peri-procedural outcomes and long-term survival. We aim to systematically review the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) following PCI in the elderly which is an important measure of procedural success. Methods: A systematic review of clinical studies before September 2012 was performed to identify HRQOL in the elderly after PCI. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. Quality appraisal of each study was also performed using pre-defined criteria. HRQOL results were synthesised through a narrative review with full tabulation of results of all included studies. Results: Elderly patients have significant improvements in cardiovascular well-being. Early HRQOL appears improved from baseline, but recovery in physical health may be slower than in younger patients. HRQOL is comparable to an age-matched general population and younger patients undergoing PCI. Conservative management is not able to offer the same HRQOL benefits. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery may be superior to PCI in the very elderly. Significant heterogeneity and bias exists. Lack of appropriate data precluded meta-analysis. Conclusion: HRQOL after PCI in the elderly can improve for at least 1 year across a broad range of health domains, and is comparable to an age-matched general population and younger patients undergoing PCI. Given a limited number of articles and patients included, more prospective studies are needed to better identify the benefits for elderly patients.

Background: Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is associated with improved survival in selected patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. This treatment, however, has been associated with a relatively high rate of perioperative mortality and morbidity. Method: A review of clinical studies before March 2013 was performed to examine the impact of CRS-HIPEC on early mortality and morbidity. Factors associated with a poor perioperative outcome were identified. The importance of the learning curve was examined. Clinical outcomes were synthesized through a narrative review. Results: In-hospital mortality in high-level centres (>100 patients) ranged from 0.9 to 5.8%. The morbidity rate ranged from 36 to 84%; the overall rate of major or grade III/IV morbidity ranged from 0 to 52%. Factors that were consistently associated with a poor perioperative outcome included extensive peritoneal disease and markers of increased operative effort such as operation length, blood loss, and number of peritonectomy procedures performed. Several studies showed that morbidity decreases as operating volume increases. Moving forward, there is a need to evaluate strategies to reduce perioperative mortality whilst not compromising oncological outcomes. Conclusion: CRS-HIPEC is associated with an acceptable rate of perioperative mortality and morbidity. Morbidity decreases with increased experience and is strongly associated with the extent of disease.

Objectives: Women undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have been previously shown to be at an independently increased risk for post-operative morbidity and mortality. However, there are considerably less data on whether this trend remains true in patients undergoing concomitant aortic valve replacement (AVR) and CABG surgery. The aim of our study was to investigate this pertinent issue. Methods: Data obtained between June 2001 and December 2009 by the Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons Cardiac Surgery Database Program were retrospectively analysed. Demographic, operative data and post-operative complications were compared between male and female patients using χ2 and t tests. Long-term survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test. Independent risk factors for short- and long-term mortality were identified using binary logistic and Cox regression, respectively. Results: Concomitant AVR and CABG surgery was undertaken in 2,563 patients; 31.8% were female. Female patients were older (mean age 76 vs. 73 years; p < 0.001) and presented more often with hypertension (p < 0.001) but less often with severely impaired ejection fraction (p < 0.001), peripheral vascular disease (p < 0.001) and triple vessel disease (p < 0.001). Women did not demonstrate an increased risk of 30-day mortality (4.8 vs. 3.3%) on univariate (p = 0.069) or multivariate (p = 0.236) analysis. Female gender was independently associated with post-operative myocardial infarction (p = 0.022) and red blood cell transfusion (p < 0.001). There was no difference in long-term survival between men and women on multivariate analysis (p = 0.413). Conclusion: Female gender is not associated with poorer short- or long-term outcomes after concomitant CABG and AVR surgery.