Emergency coronary and peripheral arteries combined with percutaneous intervention in the elderly: success or therapeutic excess?

Future Cardiol. 2015 Sep;11(5):521-4. doi: 10.2217/fca.15.52. Epub 2015 Sep 25.

Abstract

Acute lower extremities peripheral artery disease represents a clinical emergency. Peripheral artery disease incidence ranges from 2.5 to 22% and has progressively increased due to the world population aging phenomenon and associates with coronary artery disease with a rate of 40-60%. The authors present the case of an 89-year-old man coming to their attention with acute lower extremities ischemia and unstable angina. Despite the short-to-midterm favorable outcome, doubts remain about the opportunity of treating 'very old' patients. The lack of dedicated randomized trials and of defined guidelines is a problem the scientific community needs to face considering that patients over 85 years represent a raising quote of the whole population of our catheterization laboratories.

Keywords: acute coronary syndrome; acute peripheral artery disease; elderly patients; percutaneous intervention.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Angina, Unstable / complications
  • Angina, Unstable / diagnostic imaging
  • Angina, Unstable / surgery*
  • Angiography
  • Femoral Artery*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / methods*
  • Peripheral Arterial Disease / complications
  • Peripheral Arterial Disease / diagnostic imaging
  • Peripheral Arterial Disease / surgery*
  • Stents*
  • Time Factors
  • Vascular Surgical Procedures / methods*