Elderly patients are referred with increasing frequency for aortic valve replacement (AVR), due to the ageing of the population and to improved results of surgery. We retrospectively analysed the in-hospital and short-term (up to three years) results of AVR in 185 patients aged G75 years, operated on at our institution from January 2000 to December 2003. Follow-up was completed by a telephone interview during January 2005. Hospital mortality was 6.5% (12 patients). A non-elective operation

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... 001), preoperative NYHA functional class GIII (Ps0.06), and chronic renal failure (Ps0.02) were associated with increased operative mortality. Of note, age G80 years did not increase the surgical risk. The 4-year actuarial survival was 70.5%, the event-free survival was 60.6%, and almost all of the interviewed patients thought that they had benefited from the operation. Preoperative intubation, a NYHA class GIII, and a non-elective operation were univariate predictors of a poorer outcome. Our data show that aortic valve replacement may be performed with low morbidity and mortality in the elderly patient (age G75 years), and that an age G80 years neither increases the surgical risk, nor significantly worsens the short-term outcome.