Background: Elderly patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) are rarely included in randomized trials due to concomitant diseases. As a result, invasive treatment and aggressive pharmacotherapy are used less frequently in this group. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of invasive treatment used for elderly patients (≥ 80 years) with NSTEMI from 2003-2009 and its impact on 24-month outcomes.
Methods: We performed analysis of 13,707 elderly patients, out of 78,422 total NSTEMI patients, enrolled in the prospective, nationwide, Polish Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes (PL-ACS) from 2003 to 2009.
Results: The percentage of elderly NSTEMI population was 17.5%. Invasive treatment received 24% of them. In-hospital complications (stroke, reinfarction and death) were significantly less frequent in the invasive group, with the exception of major bleeding, which occurred almost three times more frequently (2.9% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.0001) in the invasive group. The 24-month mortality was lower (29.4% vs. 50.4%, p < 0.0001) in the invasive group and remained so after matching patients by the propensity score method (31.1% vs. 40.9%, p < 0.0001). From 2003 to 2009 the use of thienopyridines, beta-blockers and statins rose significantly. The frequency of invasive strategy increased significantly, from 10% in to over 50% in 2009. The frequency of major bleeding increased twofold, however a significant reduction in the 24-month mortality was observed over the years.
Conclusions: Elderly patients with NSTEMI benefit significantly from invasive strategies and modern pharmacotherapy recommended by treatment guidelines. Nevertheless, this approach is associated with an increased incidence of major bleeding.