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Transradial cardiac catheterization in elderly patients
R P Caputo1, A Simons, A Giambartolomei
1St. Joseph's Hospital, Syracuse, New York 13203, USA.
Insights
Transradial cardiac catheterization is safe and effective in selected elderly patients. This study found similar success rates and procedure variables between younger and older patient groups, demonstrating its applicability across age groups.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Geriatric Medicine
Background:
- The safety and efficacy of the transradial approach for cardiac catheterization in elderly individuals remain under-explored.
- Elderly patients often have unique physiological characteristics that may influence procedural outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transradial cardiac catheterization in elderly patients (>/= 70 years) compared to younger patients (< 70 years).
- To assess procedure success rates and related variables in different age cohorts.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study comparing transradial cardiac catheterization outcomes in two age groups: < 70 years (n=195) and >/= 70 years (n=83).
- Analysis included procedure success rates, procedure time, radiographic contrast volume, and number of catheters used.
- Patient selection for the transradial approach was also analyzed.
Main Results:
- Elderly patients were less frequently selected for the transradial approach (46% vs. 61%).
- Despite being more often female and having smaller body surface area, elderly patients showed comparable procedure success rates (95.1% vs. 94.8%).
- Key procedural variables such as time, contrast volume, and catheter use were similar between age groups.
Conclusions:
- Transradial cardiac catheterization is a safe and effective option for appropriately selected elderly patients.
- The findings support the expanded use of the transradial approach in geriatric populations undergoing cardiac catheterization.
Abstract:
The safety and efficacy of transradial cardiac catheterization in elderly patients is unknown. This study examines procedure success rates for transradial catheterization in appropriately selected patients < 70 (n = 195) and >/= 70 (n = 83) years old. Elderly patients were less likely to be selected for the transradial approach (46% vs. 61%; P = 0.05). Although patients >/= 70 years old were more often female (39.7% vs. 24.1%; P = 0.008) and had a smaller body surface area (1.89 +/- 0.18 vs. 2.01 +/- 0.24 m2; P = 0. 001), procedure success rates did not differ (95.1% vs. 94.8%; P = NS). Procedure-related variables including procedure time (15.4 +/- 12.6 vs. 16.1 +/- 11.6 min; P = NS), amount of radiographic contrast (90.1 +/- 31.9 vs. 86.4 +/- 29.8 cc; P = NS), and number of catheters used (1.5 +/- 0.9 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.7; P = NS) were similar between groups. We conclude that transradial catheterization can be safely and effectively performed in selected elderly patients. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 51:287-290, 2000.
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