Clinical Characteristics of Coronary Interventions in Old Aged Patients

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Coronary intervention is one of well established therapeutic modalities for patients with ischemic heart diseases. With the prolonged life expectancy and changes in dietary habits in Korea, the number and percentage of elderly patients with ischemic heart disease have increased in interventional coronary therapies. METHOD: There were 1762 patients (age> or = 70 years 253, age<70 years 1509) who underwent diagnostic coronary angiogram at Chonnam University Hospital between Jan '96 and Jun '97. We compared clinical characteristics, coronary lesion morphology, success rates and complications of coronary interventions in control and aged groups. RESULTS: 1) Female patients were more prevalent in aged group (43 %; 145 male, 108 female) than in the control group (35%; 982 male, 527 female, p<0.05). 2) The diagnostic sensitivity of coronary angiogram was higher in the aged (169/253, 67 %) than in control group (738/1509, 49 %, p<0.05). Multivessel diseases were more prevalent in the aged (65 %) than in the control groups (49%). 3) Coronary interventions were performed less frequently in the aged group (119/169, 70 %) than in the control group (605/738, 82%, p<0.05). The success rates of PTCA were not different between in the aged (89%) and control (93%) groups, and the success rates in stenting was also not different between the aged (98%) and control (99%) groups. 4) Procedure-related complications (4.6 vs. 7.6 %) and mortalities (0.5 vs 0.8 %) during and after coronary interventions were not different in control and elderly groups. CONCLUSION: Coronary interventions in patients older than 70 years can be performed with high success and low complication rates ; the results do not differ from those of younger patients.