Age-based differences of percutaneous coronary intervention in the drug-eluting stent era

Limited data are available on contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) practice patterns and outcomes in elderly patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate "real-world" PCI in elderly and nonelderly patients during the first year of availability of drug-eluting stents (DES) in the United States market (May 1, 2003-April 30, 2004).

One thousand one hundred sixty-six consecutive patients (272 elderly [age > or =75 years] and 894 nonelderly [age <75 years]) having PCI for de novo coronary artery disease (CAD) at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center were included in this study. Primary outcome measures of this study were in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE-death, new MI, urgent revascularization). Secondary end points included acute renal failure, respiratory failure, and vascular complications.

Elderly patients had higher MACE (8.5% vs 1.5%, P < or = 0.001), unadjusted in-hospital mortality (7.4% vs 0.8%, P < or = 0.001), in-hospital cardiac arrest (1.5% vs 0.3%, P = 0.03), requirements for assisted blood pressure support (13.2% vs 7.0%, P = 0.0001), respiratory failure (2.2% vs 0.9%, P = 0.08), acute renal failure (2.9% vs 0.8%, P = 0.005), and vascular complications (10.3% vs 5.5%, P = 0.005) than their nonelderly counterparts. Higher MACE rates persisted in the elderly despite correction for baseline differences using multivariate regression modeling.

Advanced age remains a predictor of adverse outcomes attending PCI even in the contemporary era in which DES are available. This study highlights the need for further progress and investigation to optimize outcomes of PCI in the elderly.