ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the in-hospital evolution of patients aged 65 years and older, with acute myocardial infarction, who were treated by direct coronary angioplasty with no fibrinolytic therapy. METHODS: We studied 885 patients divided into 2 groups as follows: group I (GI) - 293 (33.4 percent) patients aged ³ 65 years (72±5 years), and group II (GII) - 592 patients aged < 65 years (57±9 years). Multivessel disease was more frequent in GI (63.5 percent x 49.7 percent; p=0.001). A greater number of GII patients were class I or II of the clinical Killip-Kimball classification (K) (80.2 percent x 67.2 percent; p=0.00002), while a significant number of GI patients were KIII and KIV (24.3 percent x 12.8 percent; p=0.00003). RESULTS: Group I had a lower index of success (84.6 percent x 94 percent; p=0.0002) and a greater in-hospital mortality (12.2 percent x 4.7 percent; p=0.00007). The predictors of mortality in GI were as follows: previous infarction (20.5 percent x 6.3 percent; p=0.02), anterior location (13.4 percent x 6.4 percent; p=0.03), and male sex (10.4 percent x 4.4 percent; p=0.007). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients had more severe acute myocardial infarction and more extensive disease, a lower index of success, and greater in-hospital mortality. Previous infarction, anterior location and male sex were identified as predictors of mortality in the elderly group (GI)