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Increasing cardiac interventions among the aged

J D Groarke1, G Blake, H McCann

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles St, Dublin 7. johngroarke1@eircom.net

Irish Medical Journal
|May 13, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Ireland's aging population is increasing cardiac disease. Elderly patients, especially the very old, are receiving more advanced cardiac care, including interventions and device implants.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Ireland's population aged over 65 is growing.
  • Coronary event incidence increases with age, leading to more elderly patients with cardiac disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the changing age profile of patients treated by a tertiary hospital's Cardiology service.
  • To analyze trends in advanced cardiac care utilization among elderly patients.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Hospital Inpatient Enquiry data.
  • Analyzed trends in Coronary Care Unit (CCU) admissions, diagnostic coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary interventions, and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) recipients by age group over time.

Main Results:

  • 53% of CCU admissions were aged 65 years or older.
  • Admissions for patients aged 85 years or older quadrupled between 2002 and 2008.
  • Proportions of patients aged 70+ undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions increased significantly from 1997 to 2007.
  • The proportion of ICD recipients aged over 70 increased from 8% in 2003 to 25% in 2008.

Conclusions:

  • The proportion of elderly patients, particularly the very elderly, receiving advanced cardiac care is increasing.
  • This demographic shift has significant resource implications for healthcare.
  • Further investigation into the outcomes of interventions in the 'old old' is necessary due to their under-representation in clinical trials.

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