Comparison of outcomes in patients > or =70 years versus <70 years after transradial coronary stenting with maximal antiplatelet therapy for acute coronary syndrome.

Elderly patients are at a higher risk for complications after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) when performed through the femoral approach. The impact of age on complications in patients treated using the transradial approach is not known. The bleeding and ischemic outcomes at 30 days, 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years after transradial PCI and maximal antiplatelet therapy were compared in 1,348 patients aged <70 or > or =70 years with acute coronary syndromes. All patients received aspirin and clopidogrel before catheterization, followed by abciximab at the time of PCI. Patients aged > or =70 years (n = 259 [19%]) had more hypertension, dyslipidemia, family histories, and previous coronary artery bypass grafting. Older patients had lower baseline hemoglobin, platelet, and creatinine clearance values, and they also more often had 2- or 3-vessel syndrome (p = 0.001), as well as longer procedure durations (p = 0.024). At 30 days, the rates of major adverse cardiac events and major bleeding were similar in older and younger patients. Only the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding (p = 0.021) and mild to moderate access-site hematoma were higher in older patients (p = 0.036). The rates of major adverse cardiac events were also similar in the 2 age groups at 6 months (6% vs 9%, p = 0.08), 1 year (10% vs 13%, p = 0.22), and 3 years (19% vs 20%, p = 0.73), but mortality was significantly higher at 3 years in patients aged > or =70 years (p = 0.0031). In conclusion, age per se is not a predictor of major adverse cardiac events or major bleeding after transradial PCI with maximal antiplatelet therapy. However, older patients remain more prone to gastrointestinal bleeding and local hematoma compared to younger patients, and preventive measures need to be further investigated.