A patient’s age isn’t necessarily a good reason to not try a sirolimus-eluting stent, according to a German study of 6,755 patients.
The sirolimus stents resulted in “an impressive relief of angina,” the researchers reported. In-hospital (1%) and six-month (4%) mortality rates, as expected, were higher in patients older than 75 years of age.
Older patients had a higher risk of renal failure, diabetes, hypertension, and triple-vessel disease; they also had a higher incidence of smaller vessels, left main disease, and vein graft interventions. However, the main finding of the study—representing a real-world scenario—was that six months after stent implantation, the rate of nonfatal complications such as myocardial infarction and the need for another target vessel revascularization, was equal or even lower in patients over 80 years of age, compared with the rate in younger patients.
More information about sirolimus stents appears on page 599.
(Source: Am Heart J 2007;
