Background: Achilles tendon thickness (ATT), a longstanding feature with familial hypercholesterolemia, isbeginning to emerge as a marker for systemic atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. Its prognostic value inelderly patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not known.Objective: To determine the correlation between ATT and 5-year cardiovascular outcomes following PCI inpatients ≥75 years.Methodology: This retrospective cohort study conducted in one center enrolled 95 elderly patients who underwentPCI and had ATT as measured by lateral foot radiography. The patients were classified as ATT ≥9 mm (n=15)and ATT <9 mm (n=80). Cardiovascular events were assessed at 5 years, applying Fine and Gray competing riskmodels adjusted for renal function.Results: ATT ≥9 mm was linked to increased MACCEs (46.7% vs. 26.3%) and cardiovascular deaths (26.7% vs.11.3%), but not statistically significant in the entire cohort. ATT ≥9 mm was predictive of MACCEs (HR 2.12,p=0.018) and cardiovascular deaths (HR 2.88, p=0.015) in patients with intact renal function (eGFR ≥30). Nosuch correlation in patients with compromised renal function.Conclusion: Increased ATT (≥9 mm) is an independent predictor of long-term cardiovascular events andmortality in elderly post-PCI patients with preserved renal function. ATT can be used as an inexpensive, non-invasive risk stratification marker in this at-risk population.
Kumar et al. (Wed,) studied this question.