title: [Acute myocardial infarction in patients over 70 years of age].
abstract: Demographic changes in cardiovascular disease explain the marked increase in the number of myocardial infarctions affecting individuals aged over 70. The prognosis remains poor, with hospital mortality of the order of 30%. The reticence of physicians to use reperfusion techniques (intravenous thrombolysis and coronary angioplasty) is paradoxically considerable. Several studies have nevertheless shown that the benefit/risk ratio of such methods not only persists, but is increased in this age group, which should encourage the widening of their indications. Thorough evaluation of the best management strategy would require a randomised comparative trial, but angioplasty would probably ensure early reperfusion in a larger proportion of elderly patients than thrombolysis, because of the high incidence of contraindications to the latter as well as of cardiogenic shock in this age group.
authors.affiliation: Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Bichat, Paris.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Himbert
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Juliard
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Steg
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karrillon
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Aumont
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000401:mortality
vernacular_title: L'infarctus myocardique aigu du sujet de plus de 70 ans.