title: Emergency coronary and peripheral arteries combined with percutaneous intervention in the elderly: success or therapeutic excess?
abstract: Acute lower extremities peripheral artery disease represents a clinical emergency. Peripheral artery disease incidence ranges from 2.5 to 22% and has progressively increased due to the world population aging phenomenon and associates with coronary artery disease with a rate of 40-60%. The authors present the case of an 89-year-old man coming to their attention with acute lower extremities ischemia and unstable angina. Despite the short-to-midterm favorable outcome, doubts remain about the opportunity of treating 'very old' patients. The lack of dedicated randomized trials and of defined guidelines is a problem the scientific community needs to face considering that patients over 85 years represent a raising quote of the whole population of our catheterization laboratories.
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa Cardiologia Universitaria, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.affiliation: GVM Care & Research, Cardiac Medical-Surgery Department, Città di Lecce Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furgieri
authors.affiliation: GVM Care & Research, Cardiac Medical-Surgery Department, Città di Lecce Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa Cardiologia Universitaria, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cafaro
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa Cardiologia Universitaria, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paradies
authors.affiliation: Unità Operativa Cardiologia Universitaria, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico di Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Fortunato
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iacovelli
authors.affiliation: Interventional Cardiovascular Unit, GMC Care and Research, Maria Cecilia Hospital, Cotignola, Italy.
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castriota
authors.affiliation: GVM Care & Research, Cardiac Medical-Surgery Department, Città di Lecce Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liso
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D000792:Angiography; D005263:Femoral Artery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / Q000379:methods*; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*
keywords: acute coronary syndrome; acute peripheral artery disease; elderly patients; percutaneous intervention