Ischaemic heart disease is a leading cause of death among patients all over the world.
1 In general, age is a predictor of adverse events after acute coronary syndrome, including in-hospital and post-hospital mortality rates.
2-4 Octogenarians constitute a fast growing group of cardiovascular patients, admitted for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
5-8 Elderly people frequently present with comorbid conditions and as a result have more adverse cardiac and noncardiac events, and increased early and late mortality compared with younger patients after PCI.
5,9,10 Most studies have reported that older age is associated with decreased procedural success and/or increased in-hospital complications.
8,10-18 In the elderly, coronary disease is diffuse and the vessels are more often severely calcified. Therefore, the procedure is often technically difficult.
5,10,19,20 The presence of an acute or recent myocardial infarction substantially increases the risk of in-hospital death.
10,21 …
