Outcomes of Drug-Eluting Balloon-Only Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Elderly Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome and High Bleeding Risk.

This study explores the outcomes of drug-eluting balloon (DEB)-only percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome and high bleeding risk, comparing it to traditional drug-eluting stent (DES)-only PCI. We conducted a retrospective study at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from June 2023 to June 2024, involving 300 patients aged 65-90 years. Half underwent DEB-only PCI, and half received DES-only PCI. Key outcomes assessed included ischemic events, major bleeding, PCI success rates, and the influence of pre-PCI bleeding risk. Data analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Released 2017; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) revealed no significant difference in ischemic events (30% for DEB vs. 38.7% for DES), major bleeding (13.3% vs. 12.0%), or PCI success rates (86.7% vs. 92%). However, pre-PCI bleeding risk significantly influenced post-PCI bleeding. Overall, DEB-only PCI demonstrated comparable efficacy to DES-only PCI, suggesting it is a viable option for elderly patients with high bleeding risk.