Sex differences in use of coronary revascularization in elderly patients after acute myocardial infarction: a tale of two therapies.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if there are sex differences in the use of coronary revascularization in elderly patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and if sex differences vary by type of revascularization therapy.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of medical record data.


METHODS
US acute-care nongovernment hospitals.


METHODS
A total of 66,830 Medicare patients > or =65 years old hospitalized with AMI.


METHODS
None.


RESULTS
We assessed sex differences in the use of coronary revascularization within 60 days of hospital admission among patients who had undergone cardiac catheterization. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to derive risk-standardized rates of any coronary revascularization, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics. Women had lower crude overall rates of coronary revascularization compared with men (65.2% vs 68.7%, p < 0.001). Multivariable adjustment reduced the sex difference in the overall coronary revascularization rate from 3.5 to 2.1% (66.0% women vs 68.1% men, p = 0.001). Sex differences in coronary revascularization use, however, varied by type of revascularization therapy. Women had lower risk-standardized rates of CABG surgery compared with men (27.0% vs 32.9%, p < 0.001), but had higher risk-standardized rates of PCI (42.0% vs 38.2%, p < 0.001), particularly among patients > 85 years old (45.8% vs 38.9%, p = 0.011).


CONCLUSIONS
Among Medicare patients hospitalized with AMI, women are slightly less likely to undergo coronary revascularization after cardiac catheterization; however, sex differences in coronary revascularization vary by type of therapy.
Rathore
Saif S
SS
Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Foody
JoAnne M
JM
Radford
Martha J
MJ
Krumholz
Harlan M
HM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States