Acute Dialytic Support of the Octogenarian

Causes and Prognosis of Acute Renal Failure in the Very Old

“…More important, the stratified analysis did not show any significant influence of age on mortality. In the present work, we have not found a relationship between very advanced age and poor prognosis in ARF, which had already been our own experience 4 and the experience of other authors 9–14,21 . In Table 6, we summarize the most relevant studies in the literature about ARF in older patients.…”

“…Druml et al analyzed a subgroup of ARF patients (number not available) more than 80 years of age and noted that mortality was not higher than in those aged 19 to 64 14 . In the recently published small study of ARF in octogenarians, Baldyga et al have noted a similar mortality in old and young patients 21 …”

“…This possible tendency to treat older people less aggressively is probably the result of a series of myths and misconceptions, 16,30 among which we might include the assumption that old patients with ARF do poorly regardless of the treatment. In fact, when we treat a very old patient with ARF, his or her age has little to do with the prognosis 4,9–14,21 . Age alone does not seem to be an acceptable predictor of critical illness with regard to mortality and quality of life of survivors 31 …”

Cost, Outcome, and Functional Status in Octogenarians and Septuagenarians after Cardiac Surgery

“…Octogenarians initiating hemodialysis in the ICU had a survival rate (33.3%) that was similar to that of nonoctogenarians (36.4%). 13 Peterson et al 9 attributed the 20% higher cost for octogenarian patients to their longer average length of hospital stay (3.9 days). Avery et al 5 noted an average 26.8% higher cost for their octogenarian patients, which was explained on the basis of a 37% longer average hospital length of stay and a higher intensity of illness.…”