Large differences between patients with acute myocardial infarction included in two Swedish health registers.

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause for morbidity and mortality in Sweden. We aimed to compare patients with an acute MI included in the Register of information and knowledge about Swedish heart intensive care admissions (RIKS-HIA, now included in the register Swedeheart) and in the Swedish statistics of acute myocardial infarctions (S-AMI). METHODS: Population based register study including RIKS-HIA, S-AMI, the National patient register and the Cause of death register. Odds ratios were determined by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: From 2001 to 2007, 114,311 cases in RIKS-HIA and 198,693 cases in S-AMI were included with a discharge diagnosis of an acute MI. Linkage was possible for 110,958 cases. These cases were younger, more often males, had fewer concomitant diseases and were more often treated with invasive coronary artery procedures than patients included in S-AMI only. There were substantial regional differences in proportions of patients reported to RIKS-HIA. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of all patients with an acute MI were included in RIKS-HIA. They represented a relatively more healthy population than patients included in S-AMI only. S-AMI covered almost all patients with an acute MI but had limited information about the patients. Used in combination, these two registers can give better prerequisites for improved quality of care of all patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Nationwide cohort study of risk of ischemic heart disease in patients with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: Studies on ischemic heart disease (IHD) incidence in individuals with celiac disease (CD) are contradictory and do not take small intestinal pathology into account. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this Swedish population-based cohort study, we examined the risk of IHD in patients with CD based on small intestinal histopathology. We defined IHD as death or incident disease in myocardial infarction or angina pectoris in Swedish national registers. In 2006 to 2008, we collected duodenal/jejunal biopsy data on CD (equal to villous atrophy; Marsh 3; n=28 190 unique individuals) and inflammation without villous atrophy (Marsh 1 to 2; n=12 598) from all 28 pathology departments in Sweden. A third cohort consisted of 3658 individuals with normal mucosa but positive CD serology (Marsh 0, latent CD). We found an increased risk of incident IHD in patients undergoing small intestinal biopsy that was independent of small intestinal histopathology (CD: hazard ratio [HR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.28; 991 events; inflammation: HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.39; 809 events; and latent CD: HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.50; 62 events). Celiac disease (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.40) and inflammation (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.52) were both associated with death resulting from IHD, whereas latent CD was not (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.34 to 1.50). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with CD or small intestinal inflammation are at increased risk of incident IHD. We were unable to show a positive association between latent CD and incident IHD.

Long-term safety and efficacy of drug-eluting versus bare-metal stents in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: The long-term safety and efficacy of drug-eluting coronary stents have been questioned. METHODS: We evaluated 47,967 patients in Sweden who received a coronary stent and were entered into the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry between 2003 and 2006 and for whom complete follow-up data were available for 1 to 5 years (mean, 2.7). In the primary analysis, we compared patients who received one drug-eluting coronary stent (10,294 patients) with those who received one bare-metal stent (18,659), after adjustment for differences in clinical characteristics of the patients and characteristics of the vessels and lesions. RESULTS: Analyses of outcome were based on 2380 deaths and 3198 myocardial infarctions. There was no overall difference between the group that received drug-eluting stents and the group that received bare-metal stents in the combined end point of death or myocardial infarction (relative risk with drug-eluting stents, 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 1.03) or the individual end points of death (relative risk, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.05) and myocardial infarction (relative risk, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.88 to 1.06), and there was no significant difference in outcome among subgroups stratified according to the indication for stent implantation. Patients who received drug-eluting stents in 2003 had a significantly higher rate of late events than patients who received bare-metal stents in the same year, but we did not observe any difference in outcome among patients treated in later years. The average rate of restenosis during the first year was 3.0 events per 100 patient-years with drug-eluting stents versus 4.7 with bare-metal stents (adjusted relative risk, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.52); 39 patients would need to be treated with drug-eluting stents to prevent one case of restenosis. Among high-risk patients, the adjusted risk of restenosis was 74% lower with drug-eluting stents than with bare-metal stents, and only 10 lesions would need to be treated to prevent one case of restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: As compared with bare-metal stents, drug-eluting stents are associated with a similar long-term incidence of death or myocardial infarction and provide a clinically important decrease in the rate of restenosis among high-risk patients.

Association between statin treatment and outcome in relation to renal function in survivors of myocardial infarction.

As statins are recommended at discharge to all patients following myocardial infarction (MI), we studied their use and efficacy in renal disease by analyzing the data, in the nationwide SWEDEHEART registry, of 42,814 consecutive survivors of MI with available creatinine/dialysis data but without statin therapy on admission. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was determined by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study formula and the patients classified into the five traditional stages of kidney disease. The 1-year survival in relation to prescription of statin at discharge was assessed in a Cox regression analysis adjusted by a propensity score that described each individual's likelihood of being treated with a statin, established by 36 baseline characteristics and in-hospital therapies. Statin use at discharge decreased with increased renal impairment from 81% in eGFR stage 1 to 31% in eGFR stage 5. After adjusting for the propensity score and discharge medication, statin use was associated with a significant reduction in overall risk of death (hazard ratio 0.63), with a statistically significant interaction between statin therapy and the stage of renal function. Thus, statin use at discharge was associated with improved 1-year survival of patients in stages 2-4 (mild-to-severe) of renal insufficiency. This effect appears attenuated in those with stage 5 renal failure.

Safety and efficacy of drug-eluting vs. bare metal stents in patients with diabetes mellitus: long-term follow-up in the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR).

AIMS: Patients with diabetes mellitus have more extensive coronary artery disease, more disease progression, and restenosis. The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) in these patients is widespread, despite uncertain long-term safety and efficacy. METHODS AND RESULTS: All consecutive patients with diabetes mellitus in Sweden who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention were entered into the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry (SCAAR) during 2003-06 with complete follow-up for 1-4 years (median 2.5). Patients who received at least one DES (n = 4754) were compared with those who received only bare metal stents (BMS) (n = 4956) at the index procedure. Combined outcome of death or myocardial infarction (MI) showed no difference for DES vs. BMS, relative risk (RR), 0.91 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.77-1.06]. Myocardial infarction was significantly less common with DES in patients who received only one stent RR, 0.80 (95% CI, 0.66-0.96). The restenosis rate was 50% lower in DES-treated patients RR, 0.50 (95% CI, 0.35-0.70) and was associated with a higher adjusted RR of MI, RR, 5.03 (95% CI, 4.25-5.97). DES was associated with reduced restenosis rates in all subgroups of diabetic patients with the greatest benefit in stent diameters <3 mm or stent length >20 mm. The number of lesions treated with DES to prevent one restenosis ranged from 11 to 47 in various subgroups. CONCLUSION: This real-life registry study shows that restenosis was halved by DES in diabetic patients with stable or unstable coronary disease, with similar risk of death or MI up to 4 years compared with BMS.

Reperfusion therapy for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction in Europe: description of the current situation in 30 countries.

AIMS: Patient access to reperfusion therapy and the use of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (p-PCI) or thrombolysis (TL) varies considerably between European countries. The aim of this study was to obtain a realistic contemporary picture of how patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are treated in different European countries. METHODS AND RESULTS: The chairpersons of the national working groups/societies of interventional cardiology in European countries and selected experts known to be involved in the national registries joined the writing group upon invitation. Data were collected about the country and any existing national STEMI or PCI registries, about STEMI epidemiology, and treatment in each given country and about PCI and p-PCI centres and procedures in each country. Results from the national and/or regional registries in 30 countries were included in this analysis. The annual incidence of hospital admission for any acute myocardial infarction (AMI) varied between 90-312/100 thousand/year, the incidence of STEMI alone ranging from 44 to 142. Primary PCI was the dominant reperfusion strategy in 16 countries and TL in 8 countries. The use of a p-PCI strategy varied between 5 and 92% (of all STEMI patients) and the use of TL between 0 and 55%. Any reperfusion treatment (p-PCI or TL) was used in 37-93% of STEMI patients. Significantly less reperfusion therapy was used in those countries where TL was the dominant strategy. The number of p-PCI procedures per million per year varied among countries between 20 and 970. The mean population served by a single p-PCI centre varied between 0.3 and 7.4 million inhabitants. In those countries offering p-PCI services to the majority of their STEMI patients, this population varied between 0.3 and 1.1 million per centre. In-hospital mortality of all consecutive STEMI patients varied between 4.2 and 13.5%, for patients treated by TL between 3.5 and 14% and for patients treated by p-PCI between 2.7 and 8%. The time reported from symptom onset to the first medical contact (FMC) varied between 60 and 210 min, FMC-needle time for TL between 30 and 110 min, and FMC-balloon time for p-PCI between 60 and 177 min. CONCLUSION: Most North, West, and Central European countries used p-PCI for the majority of their STEMI patients. The lack of organized p-PCI networks was associated with fewer patients overall receiving some form of reperfusion therapy.

Influence of renal function on the effects of early revascularization in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: data from the Swedish Web-System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART).

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction derive a similar benefit from an early invasive therapy at different levels of renal function. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 23 262 consecutive non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients or=90 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2), 62%; eGFR 60 to 89 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2), 55%; eGFR 30 to 59 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2), 36%; eGFR 15 to 29 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2), 14%; and eGFR <15 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2)/dialysis, 15% (P<0.001). After adjustment, the overall 1-year mortality was 36% lower (hazard ratio 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.56 to 0.73, P<0.001) with an invasive strategy. The magnitude of survival difference was similar in normal-to-moderate renal function groups. The lower mortality observed with invasive therapy declined with lower renal function, with no difference in mortality in patients with kidney failure (eGFR <15 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2)) or in those receiving dialysis (hazard ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 0.84 to 3.09, P=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Early invasive therapy is associated with greater 1-year survival in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction and mild-to-moderate renal insufficiency, but the benefit declines with lower renal function, and is less certain in those with renal failure or on dialysis.

Long-term outcomes with drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports have indicated that there may be an increased risk of late stent thrombosis with the use of drug-eluting stents, as compared with bare-metal stents. METHODS: We evaluated 6033 patients treated with drug-eluting stents and 13,738 patients treated with bare-metal stents in 2003 and 2004, using data from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry. The outcome analysis covering a period of up to 3 years was based on 1424 deaths and 2463 myocardial infarctions and was adjusted for differences in baseline characteristics. RESULTS: The two study groups did not differ significantly in the composite of death and myocardial infarction during 3 years of follow-up. At 6 months, there was a trend toward a lower unadjusted event rate in patients with drug-eluting stents than in those with bare-metal stents, with 13.4 fewer such events per 1000 patients. However, after 6 months, patients with drug-eluting stents had a significantly higher event rate, with 12.7 more events per 1000 patients per year (adjusted relative risk, 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 1.37). At 3 years, mortality was significantly higher in patients with drug-eluting stents (adjusted relative risk, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.35), and from 6 months to 3 years, the adjusted relative risk for death in this group was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.57). CONCLUSIONS: Drug-eluting stents were associated with an increased rate of death, as compared with bare-metal stents. This trend appeared after 6 months, when the risk of death was 0.5 percentage point higher and a composite of death or myocardial infarction was 0.5 to 1.0 percentage point higher per year. The long-term safety of drug-eluting stents needs to be ascertained in large, randomized trials.

Cockcroft-Gault is better than the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study formula at predicting outcome after a myocardial infarction: data from the Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies (SWEDEHEART).

BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine whether the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) or the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula is better at predicting prognosis in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. METHODS: All consecutive MI patients entered in a nationwide registry between 2003 and 2006 with glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) estimated by both the MDRD and CG formula (N = 36,137) were analyzed. RESULTS: Cockcroft-Gault classified a larger proportion of patients as having at least a moderate (39.8% vs 31.1%, P < .001) or at least a severe renal dysfunction (7.6% vs 4.4%, P < .001) compared with the MDRD. The largest difference between the estimations was seen when patients were divided according to gender, age, and weight, where CG estimated a lower eGFR in women, the elderly, and those with low body weight. In a receiver operating characteristic analysis, CG had a stronger association to 1-year mortality (area under the curve 0.78, 95% CI 0.77-0.79) than MDRD (area under the curve 0.73, 95% CI 0.72-0.74). Within each renal function stage classified with the MDRD, there were patients identified with the CG as having both a worse renal function and a higher mortality. After multivariable adjustment, CG predicted 1-year mortality better than the MDRD (renal failure vs normal renal function: hazard ratio 3.00, 95% CI 2.42-3.71 with the CG; hazard ratio 2.56, 95% CI 2.10-3.11 with the MDRD). CONCLUSION: Cockcroft-Gault is better than the MDRD equation at predicting mortality after a MI. This is mainly explained by differences in the coefficients and variables included in the eGFR equations, and less to differences in various subgroups of patients.

Association between admission supine systolic blood pressure and 1-year mortality in patients admitted to the intensive care unit for acute chest pain.

CONTEXT: High resting blood pressure (BP) is among the best studied and established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the relationship between BP under acute stress, such as in acute chest pain, and subsequent mortality. OBJECTIVE: To study long-term mortality related to supine BP in patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) for acute chest pain. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Data from the RIKS-HIA (Registry of Information and Knowledge About Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions) was used to analyze the mortality in relation to supine admission systolic BP in 119,151 participants who were treated at the ICU for the symptom of chest pain from 1997 through 2007. Results from this prospective cohort study were presented according to systolic BP quartiles: Q1, less than 128 mm Hg; Q2, from 128 to 144 mm Hg; Q3, from 145 to 162 mm Hg; and Q4, at or above 163 mm Hg. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Total mortality. RESULTS: Mean (SD) follow-up time was 2.47 (1.5) years (range, 1-10 years). One-year mortality rate by Cox proportional hazard model (adjusted for age, sex, smoking, diastolic BP, use of antihypertensive medication at admission and discharge, and use of lipid-lowering and antiplatelet medication at discharge) showed that participants in Q4 had the best prognosis (hazard ratio [HR], 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-0.80, Q4 compared with Q2; corresponding risks for Q1 were HR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.39-1.52, and for Q3, HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.79-0.87). Patients in Q4 had a 21.7% lower absolute risk compared with Q2, patients in Q3 had a 15.2% lower risk than in Q2, and patients in Q1 had a 40.3% higher risk for mortality than in Q2. The worse prognosis in Q2 compared with Q4 was independent of body mass index and previous diagnoses and similar when analysis was restricted to patients with a final diagnosis of angina or myocardial infarction (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.71-0.80, Q4 compared with Q2). CONCLUSION: Among patients admitted to the ICU for chest pain, there is an inverse association between admission supine systolic BP and 1-year mortality rate.

Digoxin and mortality in atrial fibrillation: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) study showed that rhythm-control treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) offered no survival advantage over a rate-control strategy. In a subgroup analysis of that study, it was found that digoxin increased the death rate [relative risk (RR) = 1.42), but it was suggested that this may have been attributable to prescription of digoxin for patients at greater risk of death, such as those with congestive heart failure (CHF). No study has investigated a priori the effect of digoxin on mortality in patients with AF. This study aimed to address this question. METHODS: Using data from the Registry of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive care Admissions (RIKS-HIA), we studied the 1-year mortality among patients admitted to coronary care units with AF, CHF, or AF+CHF with or without digoxin (n = 60,764) during 1995-2003. Adjustment for differences in background characteristics and other medications and treatments was made by propensity scoring. RESULTS: Twenty percent of patients with AF without CHF in this cohort were discharged with digoxin. This group had a higher mortality rate than the corresponding group not given digoxin [adjusted RR 1.42 (95% CI 1.29-1.56)], whereas no such difference was seen among patients with CHF with or without AF, although these patients had a nearly three-times higher mortality. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that long-term therapy with digoxin is an independent risk factor for death in patients with AF without CHF.

Anticoagulation therapy in atrial fibrillation in combination with acute myocardial infarction influences long-term outcome: a prospective cohort study from the Register of Information and Knowledge About Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions (RIKS-HIA).

BACKGROUND: The American and European guidelines do not agree with regard to antithrombotic treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), thus causing uncertainty among physicians. We investigated the prescription of oral anticoagulation (OAC) in patients discharged alive with AF after an AMI and the influence of OAC treatment on 1-year mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a prospective cohort study using data from the Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive care Admissions (RIKS-HIA) on patients admitted to the coronary care units of 72 Swedish hospitals from 1995 to 2002. A total of 6182 patients discharged alive with first registry-recorded AMI and AF on discharge ECG were included. One-year mortality data were obtained from the Swedish National Cause of Death Register. Only 30% (n=1848) of the 6182 patients with AF were prescribed OAC. At 1 year, the unadjusted mortality was 31% (1183 deaths) in the platelet-inhibitors only group and 22% (414 deaths) in the OAC-treated group. In Cox regression analysis with adjustment for confounding factors, OAC treatment was associated with a reduction in 1-year mortality (relative risk 0.73; 95% CI 0.62 to 0.86; P<0.001) in hospital survivors of AMI with AF. The reduction in mortality appeared to be caused primarily by a lower rate of ischemic heart death (55.6% versus 62.0%) and fatal stroke (5.7% versus 7.5%) in the OAC group. This reduction of mortality was similar among most subgroups based on age, sex, baseline characteristics, previous disease manifestations, and medications. CONCLUSIONS: In daily clinical practice, OAC was only given to a minority (30%) of AMI patients with AF, despite the fact that OAC was associated with a 29% relative and 7% absolute reduction in 1-year mortality after adjustment for confounding variables. The results emphasize the importance of OAC treatment for AF after AMI.

Long-term outcome of primary percutaneous coronary intervention vs prehospital and in-hospital thrombolysis for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

CONTEXT: Whether the superior results of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) reported in clinical trials in which patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) received reperfusion treatment can be replicated in daily practice has been questioned, especially whether it is superior to prehospital thrombolysis (PHT). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of different reperfusion strategies in consecutive STEMI patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A prospective observational cohort study of 26 205 consecutive STEMI patients in the Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions (RIKS-HIA) who received reperfusion therapy within 15 hours of symptom onset. The registry includes more than 95% of all Swedish patients, of all ages, who were treated in a coronary intensive care unit between 1999 and 2004. INTERVENTIONS: Seven thousand eighty-four patients underwent primary PCI; 3078, PHT; and 16 043, in-hospital thrombolysis (IHT). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality, reinfarction, and readmissions as reported in the National Health Registries through December 31, 2005. RESULTS: After adjusting for younger age and less comorbidity, primary PCI was associated with lower mortality than IHT at 30 days (344 [4.9%] vs 1834 [11.4%]; hazard ratio [HR], 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.71) and at 1 year (541 [7.6%] vs 2555 [15.9%]; HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.60-0.76). Also primary PCI correlated with lower mortality than PHT at 30 days (344 [4.9%] vs 234 [7.6%]; HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.58-0.85) and 1 year (541 [7.6%] vs 317 [10.3%]; HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.69-0.94). Prehospital thrombolysis predicted a lower mortality than IHT at 30 days (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-1.01) and at 1 year (HR, 0.84; CI 0.74-0.95). Beyond 2 hours' treatment delay, the observed mortality reductions with PHT tended to decrease while the benefits with primary PCI seemed to remain regardless of time delay. Primary PCI was also associated with shorter hospital stay and less reinfarction than either PHT or IHT. CONCLUSIONS: In unselected patients with STEMI, primary PCI, which compared favorably with IHT and PHT, was associated with reduced duration of hospital stay, readmission, reinfarction, and mortality.

Comorbidity and myocardial dysfunction are the main explanations for the higher 1-year mortality in acute myocardial infarction with left bundle-branch block.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the independent contribution of left bundle-branch block (LBBB) on cause-specific 1-year mortality in a large cohort with acute myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied a prospective cohort of 88,026 cases of MI from the Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive care Admissions in 72 hospitals in 1995 to 2001. Long-term mortality was calculated by Cox regression analysis, adjusted for multiple covariates that affect mortality by calculation of a propensity score. LBBB was present in 9% (8041 of 88,026) of the MI admissions. Patients with LBBB were older and had a higher prevalence of comorbid conditions than patients with no LBBB. The unadjusted relative risk of death within 1 year was 2.16 (95% CI, 2.08 to 2.24; P<0.001) for LBBB (42%, 3350 of 8041) compared with those with no LBBB (22%, 17,044 of 79,011). After adjustment for a propensity score that takes into account differences in risk factors and acute intervention, LBBB was associated with a relative risk of death of 1.19 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.24; P<0.001). In a subgroup of 11,812 patients for whom left ventricular ejection fraction was available and could be added to the analysis, the contributing relative risk of LBBB for death was only 1.08 (95% CI, 0.93 to 1.25; P=0.33). The most common cause of death in both groups was ischemic heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: MI patients with LBBB have more comorbid conditions and an increased unadjusted 1-year mortality. When adjusted for age, baseline characteristics, concomitant diseases, and left ventricular ejection fraction, LBBB does not appear to be an important independent predictor of 1-year mortality in MI.

Hospital therapy traditions influence long-term survival in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Differences in therapy and outcome among hospitals have been reported, but these studies have seldom used adjustment for differences in patient characteristics. The objective was to investigate the differences in treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among different hospitals within 1 country and the possible causes and outcomes of these differences. METHODS: Prospective cohort study using data from the Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive care Admissions (RIKS-HIA) on 32,954 consecutive primary admissions of patients with AMI admitted to the intensive coronary care units of 67 Swedish hospitals in 1999-2000. An activity index was calculated for each hospital based on the hospital's ranking regarding proportion of performed examination or given therapy among the AMI patients. RESULTS: After adjustment for 24 background characteristics, there were few significant deviations among hospitals in the proportion treated with acute reperfusion, antiplatelets, beta-blockers, or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. However, 3- to 10-fold differences existed among hospitals in the proportion of patients treated with intravenous beta-blockers, intravenous nitroglycerin, intravenous or subcutaneous anticoagulants, and lipid-lowering medication, and even larger discrepancies in echocardiography and revascularization within 14 days. There was a strong (r = 0.69, P < .001) correlation between hospital activity index between the years and a correlation between the hospital's activity index and 1-year mortality (r = -0.30, P = .014). There was no correlation between hospital size and activity index. CONCLUSIONS: Even after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics, there are differences between the hospital treatment cultures for patients with AMI that persists over time. Concerning everywhere-available treatment options, the treatment activity is independent of the size of the center. A more active treatment tradition is associated with a lower short- and long-term mortality in AMI patients.

The long-term cost-effectiveness of clopidogrel plus aspirin in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: The Percutaneous Coronary Intervention-Clopidogrel in Unstable Angina to Prevent Recurrent Events (PCI-CURE) study, which examined the effect of adding clopidogrel to aspirin versus aspirin alone in patients with unstable coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing PCI, found a relative risk reduction in cardiovascular deaths and myocardial infarction among those treated with clopidogrel. In addition, a within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis showed favorable costs per event avoided. However, to estimate the long-term effects, a modeling approach is necessary. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of treating patients undergoing PCI with clopidogrel plus aspirin in Sweden. METHODS: A Markov model was developed. Transition probabilities were estimated based on a register of patients treated in the coronary care units at 74 (out of 78) hospitals throughout Sweden. Patients were assumed to be treated for 1 year with an effect based on data from the PCI-CURE study. Costs were collected from published sources and recalculated to year-2004 Euros (Euro 1.00 = USD 1.24). Life-years gained were used as the measure of effectiveness. The perspective was that of the Swedish society, with a separate analysis using a health care cost perspective. RESULTS: After inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, 3474 patients were included in the model analysis. The model predicted a net gain in survival of 0.04 year per patient when adding clopidogrel. This yielded a net increase of Euros 449 if only direct costs were included; with indirect costs, the net increase was Euros 332. The resulting cost-effectiveness ratios were Euros 10,993 and Euros 8127 per life-year gained. CONCLUSIONS: The predicted cost-effectiveness ratios were well below the threshold values generally considered cost-effective. Adding clopidogrel to aspirin appeared to be cost-effective in this model analysis of patients with unstable CAD undergoing PCI in Sweden.

Fibrinolytic therapy in patients 75 years and older with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction: one-year follow-up of a large prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Fibrinolytic therapy reportedly may not be beneficial in acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients who are 75 years and older. METHODS: The association between fibrinolytic therapy and 1-year mortality and bleeding complications in an unselected large cohort of patients with STEMI was evaluated by means of propensity and Cox regression analysis adjusting for multiple factors known to influence fibrinolytic therapy as well as survival. The Register of Information and Knowledge About Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions recorded every patient admitted to a coronary care unit in 64 hospitals during 1995 through 1999. One-year mortality was obtained by merging with the National Cause of Death Register. RESULTS: A total of 6891 patients 75 years and older with first registry-recorded STEMI were included, of whom 3897 received fibrinolytic therapy and 2994 received no such treatment. Fibrinolytic therapy was associated with a 13% adjusted relative reduction in the composite of mortality and cerebral bleeding complications after 1 year (95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.94; P =.001). This effect seemed homogeneous among all subgroups based on age, sex, coronary risk factors, and previous disease manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: Fibrinolytic therapy in patients with STEMI who are 75 years and older is associated with a reduction in the composite of mortality and cerebral bleedings after 1 year. These results from an unselected coronary care unit population support the use of fibrinolytic therapy in elderly patients.

Outcome of ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with thrombolysis in the unselected population is vastly different from samples of eligible patients in a large-scale clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients in clinical trials of fibrinolytic agents have been shown to be younger, less often female, and to have lower risk characteristics and a better outcome compared with unselected patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. However, a direct comparison of patients treated with fibrinolytic agents and not enrolled versus those enrolled in a trial, including a large number of patients, has not been performed. METHODS: Prospective data from the Swedish Register of Cardiac Intensive Care on patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytic agents in 60 Swedish hospitals were linked to data on trial participants in the ASsessment of Safety and Efficacy of a New Thrombolytic (ASSENT)-2 trial of fibrinolytic agents. Baseline characteristics, treatments, and long-term outcome were evaluated in 729 trial participants (A2), 2048 nonparticipants at trial hospitals (non-A2), and 964 nonparticipants at other hospitals (non-A2-Hosp). RESULTS: Nontrial patients compared with A2 patients were older and had higher risk characteristics and more early complications, although the treatments were similar. Patients at highest risk of death were the least likely to be enrolled in the trial. The 1-year mortality rate was 8.8% versus 20.3% and 19.0% (P <.001 for both) among A2 compared with non-A2 and non-A2-Hosp patients, respectively. After adjustment for a number of risk factors, the 1-year mortality rate was still twice as high in nontrial compared with A2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The adjusted 1-year mortality rate was twice as high in patients treated with fibrinolytic agents and not enrolled in a clinical trial compared with those enrolled. One major reason for the difference in outcome appeared to be the selection of less critically ill patients to the trial.