Atrial fibrillation in acute coronary syndrome: patient characteristics and appropriate utilisation of anti-thrombotic therapy in New Zealand (ANZACS-QI 39).

BACKGROUND: Concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) present the difficult therapeutic dilemma of balancing bleeding, cardio-embolic and coronary thrombotic risks with appropriate combinations of antithrombotic medications. We aim to evaluate current New Zealand practice by identifying the incidence of AF in ACS; describe the population characteristics; and assess our antithrombotic management. METHODS: Consecutive patients ≥18y presenting with ACS who had coronary angiography (2017-2018) were identified from the All New Zealand ACS Quality Improvement (ANZACS-QI) registry. The cohort was divided into three groups: 1) patients with pre-existing AF; 2) new-onset AF; and 3) no AF. Antithrombotic regimens included dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT-single antiplatelet plus an oral anticoagulant (OAC)) and triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT). RESULTS: There were 9,489 patients, 9.6% with pre-existing AF, 4.4% new AF and 86% without AF. Both AF groups were older (median 74 vs 71 vs 65y, p=0.001), had poorer renal function, were more likely to present with heart failure (16% vs 19% vs 8%, p=0.001) and have left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (22% vs 28% vs 13%, p<0.001). They received less percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (53% vs 59% vs 70%, p=0.001). In the cohort, 25 different combinations of antithrombotic agents were utilised. Ninety-six percent of patients with any AF had a CHA2DS2VASC stroke risk score of ≥2, of whom 48% did not receive OAC. Twenty-four percent received TAT and 19% DAT. OAC use increased slightly with increasing stroke risk but were independent of CRUSADE bleeding risk. Of patients with AF treated with PCI, 53% received DAPT, 11% DAT and 35% TAT. 51% of those at high stroke risk were discharged on DAPT only. In contrast, 19% at low stroke risk received TAT. CONCLUSION: In New Zealand, one in seven patients presenting with ACS have AF, a third being new-onset AF. Antithrombotic management is inconsistent, with underutilisation of anticoagulants, particularly the DAT regimen, and is inadequately informed by stroke and bleeding risk scores.

Diagnostic coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention practices in New Zealand: The All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome-Quality Improvement CathPCI registry 3-year study (ANZACS-QI 37).

BACKGROUND: Coronary heart disease remains one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in New Zealand (NZ) and globally. The All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement (ANZACS-QI) programme includes the CathPCI registry which records all those referred for diagnostic coronary angiography (DCA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in NZ. We present the methods and three-years of data from the ANZACS-QI CathPCI registry. METHODS: The data was extracted from the ANZACS QI CathPCI registry from 01/09/2014 to 24/09/2017. The ANZACS-QI data dictionary defines all the clinical, procedural and outcomes variables collected, and standard statistical analyses were applied. RESULTS: 40,870 patients underwent cardiac catheterisation, with a mean age of 65 years, and males making up 67% of the cohort. Indications included acute coronary syndrome 55%, angina with suspected stable coronary disease 28%, valve surgery workup 8%, planned PCI 3%, heart failure/cardiomyopathy 3%, arrhythmia 1% and other 2%. For those undergoing DCA alone, radial access was used in 85% and two-thirds had at least one major artery with >50% stenosis. PCI was performed in 39% of patients. Drug-eluting stents were used in 97%. CONCLUSION: The CathPCI registry records the characteristics and outcomes of all patients undergoing DCA and PCI in NZ hospitals. As part of the ANZACS-QI programme the registry provides an important platform for quality improvement, research and to inform clinical practice.

Acute reperfusion for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in New Zealand (2015-2017): patient and system delay (ANZACS-QI 29).

AIM: Prompt access to cardiac defibrillation and reperfusion therapy improves outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The study aim was to describe the 'patient' and 'system' delay in patients who receive acute reperfusion therapy for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in New Zealand. METHODS: In 2015-17, 3,857 patients who received acute reperfusion therapy were captured in the All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement (ANZACS-QI) registry. 'Patient delay' is the time from symptom onset to first medical contact (FMC), and 'system delay' the time from FMC until reperfusion therapy (primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or fibrinolysis). RESULTS: Seventy percent of patients received primary PCI and 30% fibrinolysis. Of those receiving fibrinolysis, 122 (10.5%) received pre-hospital fibrinolysis. Seventy-seven percent were transported to hospital by ambulance. After adjustment, people who were older, male and presented to a hospital without a routine primary PCI service were less likely to travel by ambulance. Patient delay: The median delay was 45 minutes for ambulance-transported patients and 97 minutes for those self-transported to hospital, with a quarter delayed by >2 hours and >3 hours, respectively. Delay >1 hour was more common in older patients, Maori and Indian patients and those self-transported to hospital. System delay: For ambulance-transported patients who received primary PCI, the median time was 119 minutes. For ambulance-transported patients who received fibrinolysis, the median system delay was 86 minutes, with Maori patients more often delayed than European/Other patients. For patients who received pre-hospital fibrinolysis the median delay was 46 minutes shorter. For the quarter of patients treated with rescue PCI after fibrinolysis, the median needle-to-rescue time was prolonged-four hours. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide implementation of the NZ STEMI pathway is needed to reduce system delays in delivery of primary PCI, fibrinolysis and rescue PCI. Ongoing initiatives are required to reduce barriers to calling the ambulance early after symptom onset.

30-day mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention in New Zealand public hospitals (ANZACS-QI 18).

AIM: The aim of this report is to provide hospitals in New Zealand with data about their own outcomes for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures and allow comparisons with other New Zealand units and with international data. METHODS: All PCI procedures (n=5,033) were identified in nine public hospital catheterisation laboratories between 1 October 2014 and 30 September 2015. Risk-adjusted mortality rates were derived for each hospital and compared with the national rate. RESULTS: The overall 30-day mortality rate after PCI was 1.23%. The national 30-day mortality rates were 3.28% for the subgroup of patients treated for a ST segment elevation myocardial infarct and 0.66% for those treated for other acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or non-ACS indications. There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes between the different New Zealand public hospital catheterisation laboratories, either overall or for each patient subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates in the first 30 days after PCI are low and comparable across New Zealand public hospitals. The outcomes are comparable with international experience.

The All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement Programme: Implementation, Methodology and Cohorts (ANZACS-QI 9).

The All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement programme (ANZACS-QI) uses a web-based system to create a clinical registry of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and other cardiac problems admitted to hospitals across New Zealand. This detailed clinical registry is complemented by parallel analyses of, and individual linkage to, New Zealand's multiple routine health information datasets. The programme is primarily designed to support secondary care clinicians to implement evidence based guidelines and to meet national performance targets for New Zealand cardiac patients. ANZACS-QI simultaneously generates a large-scale research database and provides an electronic data infrastructure for clinical registry studies. ANZACS-QI has been successfully implemented in all the 41 public hospitals across New Zealand where acute cardiac patients are admitted. By June 2015 25,273 patients with suspected ACS and 30,696 referred for coronary angiography were registered in ANZACS-QI. In this report we describe the development and national implementation of ANZACS-QI, its governance, the data collection processes and the current ANZACS-QI cohorts and available outputs.

National variation in coronary angiography rates and timing after an acute coronary syndrome in New Zealand (ANZACS-QI 6).

AIM: The New Zealand Cardiac Clinical Network and the Ministry of Health recommend a "3-day door-to-catheter target" for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) admissions, requiring that at least 70% of ACS patients referred for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) undergo this within 3 days of hospital admission. We assessed the variability in use of ICA, timing of ICA, and duration of hospital admission across New Zealand District Health Boards (DHBs). METHODS: All patients admitted to all New Zealand public hospitals with suspected ACS undergoing ICA over 1 year ending November 2014 had demographic, risk factor, and diagnostic data collected prospectively using the All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement (ANZACS-QI) registry. Complete datasets were available in 7,988 (98.4%) patients. DHBs were categorised as those able to perform percutaneous coronary intervention on-site (intervention-capable) or not. RESULTS: There was a near two-fold variation between DHBs in the age standardised rate (ASR) of ICA ranging from 16.8 per 10,000 to 34.1 per 10,000 population (New Zealand rate; 27.9 per 10,000). Patients in intervention-capable DHBs had a 30% higher ASR of ICA. The proportion of ACS patients meeting the 3-day target ranged from 56.7% to 92.9% (New Zealand; 76.4%). Those in intervention-capable DHBs were more likely to meet the target (78.7% vs 68.0%, p<0.0001) and spent 0.84 days (p<.0001) less in hospital. CONCLUSIONS: There is a considerable variation in the rate and timing of ICA in New Zealand. Patients with ACS admitted to DHBs without interventional-capability are disadvantaged. New initiatives to correct this discrepancy are needed.