Background: The BASE ACS trial demonstrated an outcome of titanium-nitride-oxide-coated bioactive stents (BAS) that was non-inferior to everolimus-eluting stents (EES) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We performed a post hoc analysis of elderly versus non-elderly patients from the BASE ACS trial.
Methods: We randomized 827 patients (1:1) presenting with ACS to receive either BAS or EES. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE): a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). Follow-up was planned at 12months and yearly thereafter for up to 7years. Elderly age was defined as ≥65years.
Results: Of the 827 patients enrolled in the BASE ACS trial, 360 (43.5%) were elderly. Mean follow-up duration was 4.2±1.9years. MACE was more frequent in elderly versus younger patients (19.7% versus 12.0%, respectively, p=0.002), probably driven by more frequent cardiac death and non-fatal MI events (5.3% versus 1.5%, and 9.7% versus 4.5%, p=0.002 and p=0.003, respectively). The rates of ischemia-driven TLR were comparable (p>0.05). In propensity score-matched analysis (215 pairs), only cardiac death was more frequent in elderly patients (6% versus 1.4%, respectively, p=0.01). Diabetes independently predicted both MACE and cardiac death in elderly patients.
Conclusions: Elderly patients treated with stent implantation for ACS had worse long-term clinical outcome, compared with younger ones, mainly due to a higher death rate.
Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; Elderly; Everolimus-eluting stents; Titanium–nitride–oxide-coated stents.
Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.