Why do so few older people with aortic stenosis have valve replacement surgery?

摘要

Background: many older patients with severe aortic stenosis do not have valve replacement surgery. Objective: to determine the proportion of older people with symptomatic aortic stenosis referred for specialist Assessment and the reasons for non-referral. Methods: retrospective study of all patients over 75 attending the geriatric department of an English teaching Hospital. Confirmation was by reviewing all echocardiographic reports. Results: of 40 patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis, only four had undergone surgery.