Outcomes after carotid angioplasty and stenting in symptomatic octogenarians

Abstract

Objective: Octogenarians were excluded from participation in many carotid endarterectomy trials due to the high complication rates observed in past studies. However, stroke resulting from carotid stenosis is expected to increase with the aging population. Moreover, advances in Carotid Angioplasty and Stenting (CAS) techniques have resulted in perceived improved safety of this procedure. We sought to review our experience with carotid stenting in symptomatic octogenarians with an emphasis on short-term outcomes and complications. Methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal cohort study of all symptomatic patients who underwent CAS in our center between 1997 and 2007. Thirty-day stroke and death rates, and length of hospitalization were compared between the symptomatic octogenarians and non-octogenarians. Results: A total of 214 procedures were performed on 211 symptomatic patients (56 females). Fifty-nine patients (14 females) were octogenarians. The median (interquartile range) age on procedure date for the octogenarian cohort was 83 (4) years. Periprocedural death occurred in two (3.4%) octogenarians and five (3.3%) non-octogenarians (p = 0.97). At 30 days from the procedure, stroke occurred in four (6.8%) octogenarians and seven (4.6%) non-octogenarians (p= 0.52). The mean hospital stay (4.8 days) was not different between the two cohorts. Age was not a predictor of the 30-day risk of composite stroke or death. Conclusion: The complications rate observed in octogenarians was not significantly higher than non-octogenarians. Our findings suggest that octogenarians should be included in randomized trials examining CAS to better define the risk-benefit profile of this procedure in the elderly.