Risk factors of acute myocardial infarction following primary percutaneous coronary intervention among elderly patients

Background and Objective Large randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the routine use of drug-eluting stents is safe and effective, however, the patients older than 75 years undergoing PCI are at increased risk for major adverse cardiac events, so that the patients are usually excluded from this trial. The aim of the present study was to assess the early clinical outcome and risk factors in old patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) following primary PCI. Methods We analyzed the outcome after stenting in 136 patients older than 60 years in our coronary care unit with acute STEMI, and the patients were further classified in 2 age groups: patients≥75 years and <75 years. Results Though the older group had a higher prevalence of adverse baseline characteristics and lower final TIMI flow than those of the younger, the procedural success had no difference between two groups. The main adverse clinical events (MACE) for the old group was a little higher comparing with the younger in 12-month following up. Conclusions Our study suggest that drug-eluting stent implantation in elderly patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction has high initial procedural success rates despite having more severe baseline risk characteristics, and to shorten the time form symptom onset to PCI and improve final TIMI flow strategy may decrease MACE among old patients following PCI