Advanced Age
Not Necessarily High-Risk

Patients with multiple medical conditions or extreme frailty are at higher risk for surgical complications. New data from several centers including our own indicate that, in high risk patients, minimally invasive surgery for mitral valve repair and aortic valve replacement has lower complication rates compared to standard open-heart surgery. Most of our patients undergoing a high-risk aortic valve replacement are elderly (ranging from low-80s to mid-90s) and often with multiple co-morbidities.

Despite the high risk, in experienced centers using minimally invasive techniques, the survival rate is excellent and greater than 95%. We are able to perform these types of surgeries in people of all ages. There's early evidence that mortality rates are lower for the higher risk elderly population, especially for aortic valve surgery.