Objective The aim of this study was to assess quality of results of elderly patients with coronary disease after medical or revascularisation therapy. Methods In this study, we enrolled 103 patients aged 75 years or older with chronic angina in which 47 patients were assigned coronary angiography and revascularisation and 56 patients with optimised medical therapy. The primary endpoint was quality of life after 6 months, as assessed by questionnaire and the presence of major adverse cardiac events (death, non fatal myocardial infarction, or hospital admission for acute coronary syndrome with or without the need for revascularisation). Results After 6 months follow up, angina severity decreased and measures of quality of life increased in both treatment groups( P <0.05 ); however, these improvements were significantly greater after revascularisation( P <0.01 ). Major adverse cardiac events occurred in 30 ( 53.6% ) of patients in the medical group and 9 ( 19.1% ) in the invasive group ( P <0.01 ).Conclusions Patients aged 75 years or older with angina benefit more from revascularisation than from optimised medical therapy in terms of symptom relief and quality of life. Therefore, these patients should be offered invasive assessment despite their high risk profile followed by revascularisation if feasible.
Objective To analyze the clinical and angiographic characteristics associated with asymptomatic versus symptomatic restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI).Methods One hundred and sixty eight patients who underwent percutaneous revascularization and 6 month follow up angiography were recruited from 2001 to 2002, in which Fifty nine patients with angiographic restenosis ( ≥50% diameter stenosis) were analyzed. Multivariate analysis evaluated 24 clinical and angiographic variables, comparing those with and without angina. Results Restenosis occurred in 32 patients with clinical silence (55%) and 27 patients with angina. Male sex ( P =0.03 ), absence of antianginal therapy with nitrates ( P =0.002 ) ,greater reference diameter after the procedure ( P =0.04 ), greater reference diameter at follow up (P=0.01), and less lesion severity at 6 months ( P =0.04 ) were univariate predictors of asymptomatic restenosis. By multivariate analysis, only male, greater reference diameter at follow up, and less lesion severity at 6 months were associated with restenosis without angina.Conclusions Approximately half of patients with angiographic restenosis have no symptoms. The only multivariate predictors of silent restenosis at 6 months were male sex, greater reference diameter at follow up, and less lesion severity on follow up angiography.
Objective To evaluate short time effects of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) and rtPA thrombolysis+PCI (rtPA+PCI) on myocardial viability and ventricular systolic synchrony in AMI patients.Methods Eighty seven patients with first AMI were divided into two groups: group A ( n =42), pPCI group, the patients underwent PCI within 6h after onset of AMI; group B ( n =45), rtPA+PCI group, the patients underwent PCI after thrombolysis within 6h after onset of AMI; Myocardial viability was measured by 99m Tc MIBI SPECT. While, the parameters of cardiac function LVEF and ventricular systolic synchrony LVPS were measured by 99m Tc gated cardiac blood pool image on the first and the fourth weekend. Results (1) The peak CK MB was significantly lower in group A than that in group B( P <0.01 ). (2) Myocardial infarction area (MIA) was decreased and radioactivity counts in MIA was significantly increased in group A and B on the 4th weekend compared with that on the first weekend ( P <0.01 ), but there were no significant difference between group A and group B. (3) LVEF, LVPS were no significant difference between group A and group B.Conclusions (1)pPCI in acute myocardial infartion can limit infarct area, maintain ventricular systolic synchrony and improve ventricular function; (2) but, in those hospitals that there were no any condition for PCI, they should transfer the patients to central hospital for PCI after thrombolysis at the first time. It is beneficial to improve myocardial viability and ventricular systolic synchrony of AMI patients in short time.
