Evidence based medicine: clinical trials that guide the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction of elderly patients

Cardiovascular disease is the most frequent diagnosis in elderly people and is the leading cause of death in both men and women older than 65 years. Every year in the United States more than 700,000 patients arrive at the emergency room with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). About 60 percent of hospital admissions for AMI are of people older than 65 years. Their in-hospital, 1-month, and 1-year mortality is high.l In this article, we will provide a review on clinical trials that guide the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction of the elderly patients.