Older people less frequently receive invasive coronary angiography (ICA) for NSTEMI than younger patients. We describe care, ICA data, and in-hospital and 30-day outcomes of NSTEMI by age in a contemporary and geographically diverse cohort. Prospective cohort study including 2947 patients with NSTEMI from 287 centres in 59 countries, stratified by age (≥75years, n = 761). Quality of care was evaluated based on 12 guideline-recommended care interventions, and data collected on ICA. Outcomes included in hospital acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, repeat myocardial infarction, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, BARC Type ≥3 bleeding and death, as well as 30-day mortality. Patients aged ≥75years, compared with younger patients, at presentation had a higher prevalence of comorbidities and oral anticoagulation prescription (22.4% vs 7.6%, p< 0.001). Older patients less frequently received ICA than younger patients (78.6% vs 90.6%, p< 0.001) with the recorded reason more often being advanced age, comorbidities or frailty. Of those who underwent ICA, older patients more frequently demonstrated 3-vessel, 4-vessel and/or left main stem coronary artery disease compared to younger patients (49.7% vs 34.1%, p< 0.001) but less frequently received revascularisation (63.6% vs 76.9%, p< 0.001). Older patients experienced higher rates of in-hospital acute heart failure (15.0% vs 8.4%, p< 0.001) and bleeding (2.8% vs 1.3%, p= 0.006), as well as in-hospital and 30-day mortality (3.4% vs 1.3%, p< 0.001; 4.8% vs 1.7%, p< 0.001; respectively), than younger patients. Patients aged ≥75years with NSTEMI, compared with younger patients, less frequently received ICA and guideline-recommended care, and had worse short-term outcomes.
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