Background: Prior studies have found that obese patients have paradoxically lower in-hospital mortality after non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction than their normal-weight counterparts, yet whether these associations persist long term is unknown.
Methods And Results: We linked detailed clinical data for patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction aged ≥65 years in the Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes With Early Implementation of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines (CRUSADE) Registry to Medicare claims data to obtain longitudinal outcomes. Using height and weight measured on admission, patients were categorized into 6 body mass index (BMI [kilograms per meter squared]) groups.
The influence of the presenting electrocardiographic (ECG) findings on the treatment and outcomes of patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) has not been studied in contemporary practice. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, in-hospital management, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with NSTEMI in the Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get With The Guidelines (ACTION Registry-GWTG) according to the presenting ECG findings. A total of 175,556 patients from 485 sites from January 2007 to September 2011 were stratified by the ECG findings on presentation: ST depression (n = 40,146, 22.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Prior studies have observed that smokers have paradoxically favorable 1-year mortality rates after acute coronary syndromes, but it is unknown whether this association extends to long-term outcomes and to older patients.
Methods: We identified 38,628 patients aged ≥65 years participating in the CRUSADE Registry between February 2003 and December 2006 with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and linked these patients to Medicare claims data to assess longitudinal outcomes. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between smoking, 30-day, and long-term outcomes.
Background: In the United States as well as globally, Asians are a growing proportion of patients presenting with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), yet little is known about their longitudinal outcomes.
Methods: We linked Centers for Medicare & Medicaid claims data to detailed clinical data for 37,702 NSTEMI patients ≥65 years old treated at 444 CRUSADE hospitals between 2003 and 2006 to examine longitudinal outcomes. We used Cox proportional hazards modeling to compared outcomes between Asian and white patients, adjusting for differences in baseline patient characteristics.
Objectives: We sought to describe real-world patterns of care in NSTEMI patients across different risk profiles for bleeding and mortality.
Background: The NCDR ACTION Registry-GWTG in-hospital mortality and major bleeding risk scores were developed to assess patient risk and optimize treatment decisions. However, little is known about the alignment of contemporary clinical management patterns with these risk estimates.
Background: Cardiogenic shock is a deadly complication of an acute myocardial infarction (MI). We sought to characterize differences in patient features, treatments, and outcomes of cardiogenic shock by MI classification: ST-segment-elevation MI (STEMI) versus non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI).
Methods And Results: We compared differences in care by the shock status of 235 541 patients with STEMI and NSTEMI treated at 392 US hospitals from 2007 to 2011.
Background: Guidelines recommend consideration of cardiac biomarker measurement after elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), especially with complex cases or complicated procedures. However, the long-term prognostic implications of biomarker measurement after elective PCI have not been well characterized in older patients.
Methods: We examined 157,825 Medicare patients undergoing elective PCI in the United States from 2004 to 2008 at 711 hospitals in the CathPCI Registry.
Background: We sought to determine the risk of readmission for bleeding and major cardiac events in stented non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.
Methods: For this patient population, selection of an antithrombotic strategy poses a unique challenge in clinical practice, and comparative outcome data are sparse. We linked NSTEMI patients aged ≥ 65 years in the CRUSADE Registry (2003-2006) to Medicare claims data.
Background: While the efficacy of helmet use in the prevention of head injury is well described, helmet use as it relates to bicyclists' behaviors and hospital resource use following injury is less defined. The objective of this study was to compare the demographics, behaviors, hospital workups, and outcomes of bicyclists based on helmet use.
Methods: This study was a subset analysis of a 2.
Objectives: The aim of this report was to characterize the patients, participating centers, and measures of quality of care and outcomes for 5 NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) programs: 1) ACTION (Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network) Registry-GWTG (Get With The Guidelines) for acute coronary syndromes; 2) CathPCI Registry for coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention; 3) CARE (Carotid Artery Revascularization and Endarterectomy) Registry for carotid revascularization; 4) ICD Registry for implantable cardioverter defibrillators; and the 5) PINNACLE (Practice INNovation And CLinical Excellence) Registry for outpatients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Background: CVD is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. The quality of care for patients with CVD is suboptimal.
Background: Treatment with prasugrel and aspirin improves outcomes compared with clopidogrel and aspirin for patients with acute coronary syndrome who have had angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention; however, no clear benefit has been shown for patients managed first with drugs only. We assessed outcomes from the TRILOGY ACS trial based on whether or not patients had coronary angiography before treatment was chosen.
Methods: TRILOGY ACS (ClinicalTrials.
Background: Hospital readmission rates within 30 days after acute myocardial infarction are a national performance metric. Previous data suggest that early physician follow-up after heart failure hospitalizations can reduce readmissions; whether these results can be extended to acute myocardial infarction is unclear.
Methods And Results: We analyzed data from the Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes With Early Implementation of the ACC/AHA Guidelines (CRUSADE) Registry linked with Medicare claims from 2003 to 2006 for 25 872 non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients ≥65 years of age discharged home from 228 hospitals with >25 patients and full revascularization capabilities.
Background: The regional variability of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) rates may be explained by variations in the medical treatment of stable coronary artery disease. We sought to determine whether greater regional use of antianginal medications in PCI patients is associated with lower regional rates of PCI.
Methods And Results: Using CathPCI Registry and Dartmouth Atlas data, we examined patients undergoing elective PCI for stable coronary artery disease from January 1, 2009, through March 31, 2011, and calculated rates of providing ≥ 2 antianginal medicines before PCI.
Background: Cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction (MI) in older patients is associated with a high risk of inhospital mortality; however, the long-term prognosis among these patients who survive the index hospitalization is uncertain.
Methods: We evaluated 42,656 patients 65 years or older with non-ST-segment elevation MI from the CRUSADE Registry treated at 448 hospitals in the United States from 2003 to 2006 and linked to Medicare longitudinal claims data. Among patients who survived to hospital discharge, Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to compare survival between patients with and without inhospital shock.
Background: The Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC) accredits hospital acute coronary syndrome management. The influence of accreditation on the subset of patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is unknown. Our purpose was to describe the association between SCPC accreditation and hospital quality metric performance among AMI patients enrolled in ACTION Registry-GWTG (ACTION-GWTG).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite recent therapeutic advances, significant residual risk for in-hospital mortality persists among patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), a known independent predictor of increased cardiovascular events, may be an important modulator of heightened risk after acute MI. We evaluated admission HDL-C levels among 98,276 patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction with acute MI from the Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get With the Guidelines (ACTION Registry-GWTG) program who were enrolled from 490 United States hospitals from January 2007 to December 2010.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Dual antiplatelet therapy in older versus younger patients with acute coronary syndromes is understudied. Low-dose prasugrel (5 mg/d) is recommended for younger, lower-body-weight patients and elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes to mitigate the bleeding risk of standard-dose prasugrel (10 mg/d).
Methods And Results: A total of 9326 medically managed patients with acute coronary syndromes from the Targeted Platelet Inhibition to Clarify the Optimal Strategy to Medically Manage Acute Coronary Syndromes (TRILOGY ACS) trial (<75 years of age, n=7243; ≥75 years of age, n=2083) were randomized to prasugrel (10 mg/d; 5 mg/d for those ≥75 or <75 years of age and <60 kg in weight) or clopidogrel (75 mg/d) plus aspirin for ≤30 months.
Background: For patients identified before hospital arrival with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, bypassing the emergency department (ED) with direct transport to the catheterization laboratory may shorten reperfusion times.
Methods And Results: We studied 12 581 ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients identified with a prehospital ECG treated at 371 primary percutaneous coronary intervention-capable US hospitals participating in the Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get With The Guidelines, including those participating in the American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline program from 2008 to 2011. Reperfusion times with primary percutaneous coronary intervention and in-hospital mortality rates were compared between patients undergoing ED evaluation and those bypassing the ED.
Background: Early invasive management is recommended for patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI), but the incidence of long-term outcomes after early catheterization among older patients and the relationship of revascularization procedures with outcomes in this population have not been described.
Methods And Results: Using data from the Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes With Early Implementation of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines (CRUSADE) registry, we linked 19 336 older patients (≥65 years) with non-ST-segment elevation MI found to have significant coronary disease during catheterization and who survived through 30 days posthospital discharge to Medicare/Medicaid data. All-cause mortality, readmission for MI, readmission for stroke, and use of repeat revascularization procedures were tracked for a median of 1181 days.
Background: Patients with increased blood concentrations of natriuretic peptides (NPs) have poor cardiovascular outcomes after myocardial infarction (MI). The objectives of this analysis were to evaluate the utilization and the prognostic value of NP in a large, real-world MI cohort.
Methods: Data from 41 683 patients with non-ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI) and 27 860 patients with ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) at 309 US hospitals were collected as part of the ACTION Registry®-GWTG™ (Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get with the Guidelines) (AR-G) between July 2008 and September 2009.
With the large number of antithrombotic therapies available and under investigation for the treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE ACS), practice guidelines now stress the importance of selecting an antithrombotic strategy according to the efficacy and safety profiles of the chosen agent. Contemporary trials have incorporated bleeding along with ischemic end points into a composite end point commonly referred to as net clinical benefit, which allows for simultaneous evaluation of the differences between benefit and harm for an investigational antithrombotic therapy. However, incorporating major bleeding into a composite end point that includes ischemic events is not warranted and is associated with many pitfalls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRelatively little attention has been focused on standardization of data exchange in clinical research studies and patient care activities. Both are usually managed locally using separate and generally incompatible data systems at individual hospitals or clinics. In the past decade there have been nascent efforts to create data standards for clinical research and patient care data, and to some extent these are helpful in providing a degree of uniformity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe benefit of an invasive strategy in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) was established from randomized trials that included few anemic patients. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics, therapies, and mortality of patients with NSTEMIs who undergo an invasive strategy in relation to their admission hemoglobin levels. Data from 73,067 patients with NSTEMIs who underwent cardiac catheterization and who were captured by the Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry-Get With the Guidelines (ACTION-GWTG) were examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF