[Peri-interventional risk in 1,384 cardiac catheterizations in patients aged 80 years or older].

Background and Objective: Because of the rising life expectancy in the industrialized countries, ever more cardiac catheterizations are performed in patients aged 80 years or older. Little is known about the incidence of peri-interventional events in this age group.
Patients and Methods: Between January 1996 and September 2000, a total of 1,085 patients of that age (mean 82.6 +/- 2.6 years) underwent cardiac catheterization and intervention (3% of a total of 43,517 cardiac catheterizations).
Results: 827 patients (77%) had significant coronary artery stenoses. 373 of them (45%) were treated with balloon angioplasty, with or without stenting, and 331 (40%) underwent aortocoronary bypass procedures. 31 patients died while in hospital, 17 of them having been in cardiogenic shock on admission. Peri-interventional events, including damage to artery at the site of catheter entry occurred in 2.1% of patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization and in 11.6% in connection with a percutaneous interventional procedure.
Conclusion: Both cardiac catheterization and interventional procedures can be done with a justifiable risk in patients aged 80 years or older. These cardiac investigations/interventions should not be withheld in this group of patients for reasons of age.