80-year-olds fit for heart bypass

Doctors should not shy away from giving 80-year-olds heart bypass surgery, say experts.

It is a misconception that they are unlikely to survive for long enough for the surgery to be of benefit, doctors from the UK and Canada conclude.

The findings in Heart journal are based on 12,461 patients, 706 of whom were over 80 years of age at the time of surgery.

The octogenarians had half the risk of death of their younger peers.

This was despite the elderly patients being far more likely to undergo emergency surgery than younger patients.

Read more: 80-year-olds fit for heart bypass