We examined changes in health-related quality of life among elderly patients after PCI and compared these changes with those in nonelderly patients. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for the trials were similar. All patients had symptomatic coronary artery disease that required percutaneous revascularization of a single native coronary artery. Patients with a myocardial infarction within 5 days of treatment, stroke within the preceding 3 months, bifurcation lesions, or severe proximal tortuosity were excluded. The institutional review boards of each institution approved the studies, and all patients provided informed consent before participation.
Higher scores indicate better health.
Follow-up measurements were obtained by surveys mailed to participants 6 months and 1 year after initial treatment. Patients who did not respond to the mailed survey within 2 weeks were administered the same instrument by telephone when possible. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Significance tests were not adjusted for multiple comparisons. Twenty percent of the data were missing because of patient nonresponse at follow-up.