The Great Debate: Aggressive vs. Conservative Management of Coronary Artery Disease in Elderly Patients.

You wake up in a cold sweat. You dreamt that the country in which you practice rations aggressive care and insists on an evidence based justification for each cardiac procedure. You are allowed only one coronary angiogram each day, one balloon catheter, one stent. You have 2 patients, each admitted that day with acute myocardial infarction (MI). They are identical, except for their age; one is 42 years old, the other is 84. For the last several hours, you have tossed and turned, embroiled in a great debate. Which one should be treated aggressively? (c)1999 by CVRR, Inc.