Q: What is the evidence for the use of statin in secondary prevention in the over 80's?

This question is relatively straightforward.  The main reason being we've answered this question before, so I know there's lots of good quality information.

Step 1: Experience tells me that there is a CKS guideline on lipids management as well as a NICE technology appraisal on statins, so I go to these first, to see what they say.  As well as the core guidance, CKS also have 'recent research' section (signficant new research is added here before it can be properly incorporated into the full guideline) and this highlighted a new systematic review 'Statins for secondary prevention in elderly patients: a hierarchical bayesian meta-analysis'.

Step 2: Go to the TRIP Database and conduct a search for statins elderly, to automatically carry this search out follow this URL (click here, but try and open the link into a new window - see below for details).  From here I indentify a number of recent resources.  Why recent?  The assumption being that NICE and CKS will have carried out a more rigourous search than I can and therefore that provides the base of the answer.  So, I look for any new literature published since then.  We find one additional resource 'The efficacy and safety of statins in the elderly'.  We have now located 4 good quality resources. 

Step 3: Extract the relevant information and write up (click here for our version).

NOTE: Experience is very useful, but if you didn't know about the CKS and NICE guideline what would you do?  Well, you'd start at TRIP and look for relevant information.  Restricting your search (via the blue panel on the right of the results) to Clinical Guidelines or Systematic Reviews is helpful, as is looking purely at Clinical Questions - to see if the question has been asked before.

How to open a link in a new window.  Instead of clicking the left mouse button on the link, press the right mouse button.  Depending on your browser this will bring up a drop down menu which will allow you to 'Open in a new window' or 'Open in a new tab', select which one suits you!