“…While there is some evidence that accelerated discharge programs are safe for elderly patients (Lee, Swain, Andrey, Murrell, & Geha, 1999; London et al, 1997; Ott, Gutfinger, Miller, Alimadadian, & Tanner, 1997), others have demonstrated that older patients have a significantly higher acuity of illness (Kurki, Hakkinen, Lauharanta, Ramo, & Leijala, 2001) and are twice as likely to develop postoperative atrial fibrillation as younger patients (Aranki et al, 1996; Mathew et al, 1996). To add to the controversy, multiple investigators have found age to be an independent risk factor for extended PLOS after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (Horneffer et al, 1987; Kurki et al, 2001; Ott et al, 2000).…”