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[Coronary angioplasty in the elderly patient. Immediate results and mid-term outcome]
N Danchin1, M Joseph, Y Juillière
1Service de Cardiologie B, CHU de Nancy-Brabois, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy.
Insights
Transluminal coronary angioplasty is a viable treatment for elderly patients with severe coronary artery disease. This procedure offers significant symptom relief and improves survival rates in this population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
Context:
- Elderly patients often present with complex coronary artery disease.
- Transluminal coronary angioplasty (coronary angioplasty) is an established revascularization technique.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transluminal coronary angioplasty in patients over 65 years old.
- To assess the long-term outcomes, including survival and symptom recurrence, in this specific demographic.
Summary:
- Fifty elderly patients (mean age 72) underwent coronary angioplasty for severe coronary artery disease.
- The procedure had a 78% success rate, with a 92% overall survival at a mean 28-month follow-up.
- Complications included 4% mortality and 6% myocardial infarction; 49% of patients remained asymptomatic post-procedure.
Impact:
- Coronary angioplasty provides a valuable therapeutic option for elderly individuals with coronary artery disease.
- The study demonstrates favorable long-term outcomes and symptom improvement in this age group.
- Results suggest that age alone should not be a contraindication for this intervention.
Abstract:
Between April 1980 and July 1986, 50 patients over 65 (32 men and 18 women; mean age: 72 years) were treated by transluminal coronary angioplasty. Before the dilatation, 58 p. cent of the patients presented a severe angor (class III or IV) and 44 p. cent were multi-truncular. The dilatation was successful in 39 patients (78%) and 13 patients developed a recurrent stenosis successfully treated in 9 instances by re-dilatation. Among the complications, there were 2 deaths (4%), 3 infarctions (6%) and 3 emergency coronary bypass operations (6%). With a mean 28 months follow-up, the overall survival is 92 p. cent. After a successful dilatation, 49 p. cent of the patients are completely asymptomatic and the subsequent cardiological hospitalizations are rare (11%). These results show that coronary dilatation represents an interesting therapeutic option in elderly coronary patients.