INVASIVE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGIC EVALUATION IN OCTOGENARIANS - IS AGE A LIMITING FACTOR

To assess the indications, diagnostic yield, and incidence of complica tions of electrophysiologic testing in the elderly we reviewed our exp erience with 60 procedures in 45 patients aged greater-than-or-equal-t o 80 years (range 80 to 92 years, mean age 83) undergoing full electro physiologic evaluation in our laboratory over the past 7 years. The yi eld of inducible ventricular tachycardia (31%), supraventricular tachy cardia (4%), and previously unsuspected conduction abnormalities signi ficant enough to warrant permanent pacemaker implantation (9%), togeth er with the low incidence of complications (1 patient had a deep venou s thrombosis and femoral artery pseudoaneurysm, representing an incide nce of 2.2% of patients undergoing studies or 3.3% incidence of compli cations per procedure), suggest that invasive electrophysiologic proce dures in the elderly can provide useful information at a complication rate comparable with that of younger patients.