Age Considerations in the Invasive Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes.

The elderly constitute a major proportion of patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the US. Due to pre-existing comorbidities, frailty, and increased risk ofcomplications from medical and invasive therapies, management ofACS in the elderly population poses challenges. In patients with ST-elevation MI, urgent revascularization with primary percutaneous coronary intervention remains the standard of care irrespective of age.

Smoking cessation after hospitalization for myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery: Assessing patient interest, confidence, and physician prescribing practices.

Background: Prioritizing and managing multiple behavior changes following a cardiac hospitalization can be difficult, particularly among smokers who must also overcome a serious addiction.

Hypothesis: Hospitalized smokers will report a strong interest in smoking cessation (SC) but will receive little assistance from their physicians.

Methods: We asked current smokers hospitalized for an acute cardiac event to prioritize their health behavior priorities, and inquired about their attitude toward SC therapies.

Comparison of In-Hospital Outcomes and Readmission Rates in Acute Pulmonary Embolism Between Systemic and Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis (from the National Readmission Database).

There are sparse comparative data on in-hospital outcomes and readmission rates in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) who receive systemic thrombolytics versus catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT). The study cohort was derived from the National Readmission Database 2013 to 2014, subset of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Systemic and CDT were identified using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification codes.

Temporal Trends, Predictors, and Outcomes of In-Hospital Gastrointestinal Bleeding Associated With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Since the introduction of new antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents in the last decade, large-scale data studying gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are lacking. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified all hospitalizations from 2006 to 2012 that required PCI. Temporal trends in the incidence and multivariate predictors of GIB associated with PCI were analyzed.

Gender, Race, and Health Insurance Status in Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has emerged as a popular procedure. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there exist differences or disparities in ablation utilization across gender, socioeconomic class, insurance, or race. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2000 to 2012), we identified adults hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of AF by ICD 9 code 427.