Acute myocardial infarction: diagnostic difficulties and outcome in advanced old age

Day, J. J., Bayer, Antony James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7514-248X and Pathy, M. S. 1987. Acute myocardial infarction: diagnostic difficulties and outcome in advanced old age. Age and Ageing 16 (4) , pp. 239-243. 10.1093/ageing/16.4.239

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Abstract

The diagnostic features and outcome of acute myocardial infarction in 100 very elderly (aged 85 years or more) hospitalized patients are reviewed and compared with those in a group of younger elderly (aged 65-84 years). The diagnostic triad of chest pain, sequential ECG changes and raised cardiac enzymes was present in only 24 very elderly patients and in 27 the diagnosis was not initially suspected. Presenting symptoms were often atypical and characteristic ECG changes could not be demonstrated in 25 patients. Very elderly patients had a higher mortality during the first few days in hospital, despite no greater incidence of cardiac failure and similar infarct size to the younger patients. Subsequent in-hospital mortality was similar in both groups. A higher index of suspicion of myocardial infarction in acutely ill very elderly patients should lead to earlier diagnosis, more appropriate management and may improve immediate prognosis.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
ISSN:	0002-0729
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2022 11:59
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/50007

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