Older Patients Getting Inferior Heart Care?

An article to be published in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology highlights data suggesting that older patients are less likely to receive recommended cardiac care compared to younger patients.

The data covers more than 50,000 participants of all ages who were treated in an emergency room setting for cardiovascular complaints such as angina and heart attack. Analysis shows that age was the major factor in what treatments were ultimately given. One specific example points out that cardiac catheterization, a common and effective treatment for angina, was considered a bad choice in 27% of patients aged 75 to 89, but was considered a bad choice in 60% of patients aged 90 and older.

While the data from this study is interesting, and highlights areas in the emergency care system that need to be addressed, it may be that some of the results are simply a representation of the fact that older people tend to be in poorer health. For example, while cardiac catheterization is a very good treatment, the fact that it was not recommended in 60% of patients over the age of 90 may simply reflect the fact that 60% of the patients did not meet criteria for undergoing the treatment.

However, the inference that older patients are receiving inferior care cannot be dismissed entirely as a circumstantial conclusion. It may be the case, for example, that patients who met the criteria for cardiac catheterization still did not get the therapy because of hesitance on the part of risk averse physicians. An aversion which may ultimately be an unfortunate consequence of the often hostile medical litigation climate many physicians face.

In any case, more data will likely be needed in order to understand the full implications of this initial report.

Learn More:

• How is Getting Older Related to High Blood Pressure?
• What are Some Important Risk Factors for High Blood Pressure?
• How are Heart Attacks and High Blood Pressure Related?