Cause of death following coronary angioplasty: A registry analysis

We examined the cause of death in a registry of 2,127 patients who underwent first-time coronary angioplasty during 1985 and 1986. Within 5 years of the initial procedure, 205 deaths occurred (9.6%), of which only 53% were attributed to cardiac causes. As length of follow-up increased, patients 65 years of age and older died more often of noncardiac causes. So that physicians can interpret follow-up results, both cardiac and total mortality should be assessed in long-term coronary revascularization studies involving older patients.