Impact of Frailty on Outcome of Older Patients With Non-ST Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction Who Undergo Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Frailty status is linked with a poorer clinical outcome, and patients with frailty are often less revascularized, even with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We therefore sought to assess the impact of frailty on the clinical outcome of older patients with non-ST elevation acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) who underwent PCI. We prospectively enrolled 141 consecutive older patients (>75 years) admitted for NSTEMI; 104 patients underwent PCI (35 with frailty, 69 without frailty), and 37 were not revascularized (22 with frailty, 15 without). Patients with frailty were older, less frequently male, more affected by dementia and severe left ventricular dysfunction, and less treated with PCI; patients treated with PCI were younger and less affected by dementia. Thirty-day mortality rates were proportionally higher, from 3% in patients without frailty treated with PCI, to 7% in patients without frailty not treated with PCI, 17% in patients with frailty treated with PCI, and 48% in patients with frailty not treated with PCI (p <0.05). Similarly, 6-month mortality rates were proportionally higher (12%, 29%, 37%, and 71%). At multivariable analysis, frail status was associated to a sixfold increased risk of mortality at 30 days; at 6 months, frail status was associated to a 3.4-fold risk of death (p <0.01), but PCI was also associated to a lower risk of mortality (odds ratio 0.2, p <0.01). In an observational study in older patients with NSTEMI, frail status is associated to a poorer outcome, whereas PCI is associated to a better long-term outcome. A careful selection of patient suitable for revascularization by PCI may be useful in improving outcomes of older patients with frailty with NSTEMI.