Health-related quality of life in the elderly three years after percutaneous coronary intervention

Aims: Long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the elderly after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unknown. We 1) compared HRQOL of elderly (=70 years) with younger patients (<70 years) at 6, 12, 36 months post-PCI, and 2) examined whether predictors of impaired HRQOL 36 months post-PCI differed between older and younger patients. Methods and results: A prospective cohort of 651 PCI patients (26.3% =70 years) completed the SF-36 at 6, 12 and 36 months post-PCI. Older patients experienced a poorer physical HRQOL at all time points and worse mental HRQOL with respect to vitality and role emotional functioning (all p-values>0.05). By 36 months, the HRQOL for the older patients worsened in five of the eight subdomains (all p-values>0.05). Younger patients did not experience enduring changes in HRQOL, with the exception of role physical functioning. Predictors of impaired HRQOL were generally different for the elderly (diabetes, previous PCI) compared to younger cohorts (smoking, previous bypass surgery, ACE inhibitors), although poor six-month HRQOL, anxiety and depression were common predictors for both groups. Conclusions: Elderly PCI patients experience a deteriorating and poorer HRQOL than younger patients across three years. Contrary to younger patients, three-year HRQOL of elderly patients is irrespective of adverse events during outcomes.