RESUMO
The United Kingdom (UK) has a sustainable healthcare system. Nonetheless, the burden of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is still a significant challenge. A scarcity of literature primarily focuses on the continuum of care for ACS patients in the UK. Moreover, limited research studies highlight the clinical trajectories of ACS patients across the UK. Therefore, the current study was designed to explore clinical trajectories and the continuum of care for patients with ACS in the UK. Secondary data was obtained from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) database. The latest data available in the MINAP database was used. As our objective was to explore clinical trajectories and the continuum of care for patients, we retrieved data regarding the care received by ACS patients admitted to hospitals across the UK. The data of 85574 ACS patients was retrieved. A large number (n=47035) of patients were estimated to be eligible for the angiogram; however, an angiogram was performed for 87.15% (n=40995) of eligible patients. Angioplasty within 72 hours of admission was required for most (n=26313) ACS patients. Nonetheless, angioplasty within 72 hours of admission was performed for 59.7% (n=15703) of the eligible patients. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between different regions of the UK and the percentage of patients for whom angioplasty was performed within 72 hours of admission. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed for 23923 ACS patients, of which the door-to-balloon interval for 17590 (73.5%) patients was ≤60 minutes while the door-to-balloon interval for 3086 (12.9%) patients was ≤90 minutes. Out of the total 85574 ACS patients, 65959 (77.08%) patients were discharged on appropriate medications, while 19615 (22.92%) were transferred to another hospital or died there. A total of 75361 were eligible to be referred to cardiac rehabilitation settings. Nonetheless, 64518 (85.61%) were referred to cardiac rehabilitation. About 85000 patients were reported in the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Wales). Optimal care was provided to most patients in the UK. However, some patients received sub-optimal care, highlighting the disparity in the healthcare system. There is a need to explore further the factors that might be responsible for the sub-optimal care to the patients.
RESUMO
Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a global epidemic affecting people of all ages in developed and developing countries. The disease is usually characterized by insulin resistance and glucose intolerance; therefore, oral antidiabetic drugs such as thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and biguanide metformin are used to counter these defects. Due to the varied action mechanisms of TZDs and Metformin, their effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance may differ. Therefore, the current study was carried out to compare the effects of Metformin and TZDs on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance among patients with T2DM. Two methods, including using a well-outlined search strategy in 5 electronic databases including ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, and a manual search which involved going through the reference lists of studies from the electronic databases were used to retrieve studies published between 2000 and 2022. Additionally, data analysis of outcomes retrieved from the studies eligible for inclusion and the methodological quality was carried out using the Review Manager software (RevMan 5.4.1) and STATA. The meta-analysis has shown that TZDs have a significantly better overall effect on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (SMD:0.61; 95% CI:0.06, 1.16: p = 0.03) and insulin sensitivity than Metformin (Mean QUICKI: 0.306 ± 0.019 vs. 0.316 ± 0.019, respectively; p=0.0003). However, the TZDs and Metformin offer the same effect on glycemic control as assessed using HBA1c levels (MD: 0.10; 95% CI: -0.20, 0.40; p = 0.52). TZDs offer better insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance improvements compared to Metformin. This evidence contradicts the current guidelines by the American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes (ADA/EASD) and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists/American College of Endocrinology (AACE/ACE), which recommend the use of Metformin as the first-line drug monotherapy for patients with T2DM.
