Factors affecting the management of outcome in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction particularly with regard to reperfusion : Data from the french regional RICO survey

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in elderly patients is often unrecognized and associated with poor prognosis. Objectives: To investigate management and efficacy of reperfusion therapy to the elderly patients with AMI. Methods: From the January 1, 2001 to October 31, 2002, 964 patients with AMI were included in the French regional RICO survey. The patients were divided into three groups: younger (Results: Distribution of groups was 56, 27, and 16%, respectively. The longest time delay to first request for medical attention was found in the very elderly group (30 and 55 vs. 90 min, respectively, p 1 were independent predictive factors for in-hospital cardiovascular mortality, respectively (OR 5.15, 95% CI 2.08–12.74, p Conclusion: Our data in an unselected population indicate that very elderly patients were characterized by increased pre-hospital delays and less frequent utilization of reperfusion therapy, although no difference in the mortality in reperfused patients could be observed between the three age groups.