Background A considerable proportion of elderly patients with symptomatic severe heart valve disease are treated conservatively de- spite clear indications for surgical intervention. However, little is known about how...Background A considerable proportion of elderly patients with symptomatic severe heart valve disease are treated conservatively de- spite clear indications for surgical intervention. However, little is known about how advanced age and comorbidities affect treatment deci-sion-making and therapeutic outcomes. Methods Patients （n = 234, mean age： 78.5 ± 3.7 years） with symptomatic severe heart valve dis- ease hospitalized in our center were included. One hundred and fifty-one patients （65%） were treated surgically （surgical group） and 83 （35%） were treated conservatively （conservative group）. Factors that affected therapeutic decision-making and treatment outcomes were investi- gated and long-term survival was explored. Results Isolated aortic valve disease, female sex, chronic renal insufficiency, aged _〉 80 years, pneumonia, and emergent status were independent factors associated with therapeutic decision-making. In-hospital mortality for the surgical group was 5.3% （8/151）. Three patients （3.6%） in the conservative group died during initial hospitalization. Low cardiac output syndrome and chronic renal insufficiency were identified as predictors of in-hospital mortality in the surgical group. Conservative treatment was identi- fied as the single risk factor for late death in the entire study population. The surgical group had better 5-year （77.2% vs. 45.4%, P 〈 0.0001） and 10-year （34.5% vs. 8.9%, P 〈 0.0001） survival rates than the conservative group, even when adjusted by propensity score-matched analysis. Conclusions Advanced age and geriatric comorbidities profoundly affect treatment decision-making for severe heart valve disease. Valve surgery in the elderly was not only safe but was also associated with good long-term survival while conservative treatment was unfavorable for patients with symptomatic severe valve disease.展开更多
Based on the sample data of the listed firms on the A stock market, we analyze how the system of independent directors influence the earning conservatism from 4 dimensions designed to measure the monitoring power of t...Based on the sample data of the listed firms on the A stock market, we analyze how the system of independent directors influence the earning conservatism from 4 dimensions designed to measure the monitoring power of these independent directors： Percentage within BDs, professional capacities, stimulation and work conditions. From the empirical results, we conclude that the more powerful of the independent directors, the better the accounting conservatism, and that their positive impact increases along with the improvement on corporate governance, meanwhile the work conditions plays the most important role, and then are the percentage within BDs and their professional capacities, the stimulation and personal reputation appear the least importance.展开更多
文摘Background A considerable proportion of elderly patients with symptomatic severe heart valve disease are treated conservatively de- spite clear indications for surgical intervention. However, little is known about how advanced age and comorbidities affect treatment deci-sion-making and therapeutic outcomes. Methods Patients （n = 234, mean age： 78.5 ± 3.7 years） with symptomatic severe heart valve dis- ease hospitalized in our center were included. One hundred and fifty-one patients （65%） were treated surgically （surgical group） and 83 （35%） were treated conservatively （conservative group）. Factors that affected therapeutic decision-making and treatment outcomes were investi- gated and long-term survival was explored. Results Isolated aortic valve disease, female sex, chronic renal insufficiency, aged _〉 80 years, pneumonia, and emergent status were independent factors associated with therapeutic decision-making. In-hospital mortality for the surgical group was 5.3% （8/151）. Three patients （3.6%） in the conservative group died during initial hospitalization. Low cardiac output syndrome and chronic renal insufficiency were identified as predictors of in-hospital mortality in the surgical group. Conservative treatment was identi- fied as the single risk factor for late death in the entire study population. The surgical group had better 5-year （77.2% vs. 45.4%, P 〈 0.0001） and 10-year （34.5% vs. 8.9%, P 〈 0.0001） survival rates than the conservative group, even when adjusted by propensity score-matched analysis. Conclusions Advanced age and geriatric comorbidities profoundly affect treatment decision-making for severe heart valve disease. Valve surgery in the elderly was not only safe but was also associated with good long-term survival while conservative treatment was unfavorable for patients with symptomatic severe valve disease.
文摘Based on the sample data of the listed firms on the A stock market, we analyze how the system of independent directors influence the earning conservatism from 4 dimensions designed to measure the monitoring power of these independent directors： Percentage within BDs, professional capacities, stimulation and work conditions. From the empirical results, we conclude that the more powerful of the independent directors, the better the accounting conservatism, and that their positive impact increases along with the improvement on corporate governance, meanwhile the work conditions plays the most important role, and then are the percentage within BDs and their professional capacities, the stimulation and personal reputation appear the least importance.
