Outside of the lower rates for target vessel revascularization and MI, however, the trial, did find good clinical results with both DES and BMS and no difference in mortality between DES and BMS groups at one year. There were also similar rates of major hemorrhage in both groups despite differing DAPT regimes, according to the study investigators.

The XIMA study was based on 800 patients ages 80 or older with stable angina or acute coronary syndrome in Spain and the U.K. It is one of the few studies focused on octogenarians, given that this age group is often excluded from clinical trials. The investigators noted the importance of these results given the increasingly common clinical scenario of an elderly patient with extensive co-morbidity, refractory angina, complex coronary anatomy, and unsuitable for CABG.