Sex differences in long-term mortality after myocardial infarction: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Studies of sex differences in long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction have reported mixed results. A systematic review is needed to characterize what is known about sex differences in long-term outcomes and to define gaps in knowledge. METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched the Medline database from 1966 to December 2012 to identify all studies that provided sex-based comparisons of mortality after acute myocardial infarction. Only studies with at least 5 years of follow-up were reviewed. Of the 1877 identified abstracts, 52 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 39 were included in this review. Most studies included fewer than one-third women. There was significant heterogeneity across studies in patient populations, methodology, and risk adjustment, which produced substantial variability in risk estimates. In general, most studies reported higher unadjusted mortality for women compared with men at both 5 and 10 years after acute myocardial infarction; however, many of the differences in mortality became attenuated after adjustment for age. Multivariable models varied between studies; however, most reported a further reduction in sex differences after adjustment for covariates other than age. Few studies examined sex-by-age interactions; however, several studies reported interactions between sex and treatment whereby women have similar mortality risk as men after revascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Sex differences in long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction are largely explained by differences in age, comorbidities, and treatment use between women and men. Future research should aim to clarify how these differences in risk factors and presentation contribute to the sex gap in mortality.

Delay in reperfusion with transradial percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction: Might some delays be acceptable?

BACKGROUND: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) suggest benefits for the transradial approach to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, transradial PCI may delay reperfusion, leading to its avoidance. We sought to quantify the delay in reperfusion from transradial PCI ("transradial delay") that would need to be introduced to offset the potential mortality benefit of transradial PCI, compared with transfemoral, observed in RCTs. METHODS: We developed a decision-analytic model to compare transfemoral and transradial PCI in STEMI. Thirty-day mortality rates were estimated by pooling STEMI patients from 2 RCTs comparing transfemoral and transradial PCI. We projected the impact of transradial delay using estimates of the increase in mortality associated with door-to-balloon time delays. Sensitivity analyses were performed to understand the impact of uncertainty in assumptions. RESULTS: In the base case, a transradial delay of 83.0 minutes was needed to offset the mortality benefit of transradial PCI. When the mortality benefit of transradial PCI was one-quarter that observed in RCTs, the delay associated with equivalent mortality was 20.9 minutes. In probabilistic sensitivity analyses, transradial PCI was preferred over transfemoral PCI in 97.5% of simulations when transradial delay was 30 minutes and in 79.0% of simulations when delay was 60 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial transradial delay is required to eliminate even a fraction of the mortality benefit observed with transradial PCI in RCTs. Results were robust to changing multiple assumptions and have implications for operators reluctant to transition to transradial PCI in STEMI because of concern for delaying reperfusion.

Transfer rates from nonprocedure hospitals after initial admission and outcomes among elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction.

IMPORTANCE: It is unknown whether hospital transfer rates for patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to nonprocedure hospitals (facilities that do not provide catheterization) vary and whether these rates further influence revascularization rates, length of stay, and mortality. OBJECTIVES: To examine hospital differences in transfer rates for elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction across nonprocedure hospitals and to determine whether these rates are associated with revascularization rates, length of stay, and mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We used Medicare claims data from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2008, to assess transfer rates in nonprocedure hospitals, stratified according to transfer rates as low (≤ 20%), mid-low (>20%-30%), mid-high (>30%-40%), or high (>40%). Data were analyzed for 55,962 Medicare fee-for-service patients admitted to 901 nonprocedure US hospitals with more than 25 admissions per year for acute myocardial infarction. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We compared rates of catheterization, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery during hospitalization and within 60 days, as well as hospital total length of stay, across groups. We measured risk-standardized mortality rates at 30 days and 1 year. RESULTS The median transfer rate was 29.4% (interquartile range [25th-75th percentile], 21.8%-37.8%). Higher transfer rates were associated with higher rates of catheterization (P < .001), percutaneous coronary intervention (P < .001), and coronary artery bypass graft surgery (P < .001). Median length of stay was not meaningfully different across the groups. There was no meaningful evidence of associations between transfer rates and risk-standardized mortality at 30 days (mean [SD], 22.3% [2.6%], 22.1% [2.3%], 22.3% [2.4%], and 21.7% [2.1%], respectively; P = .054) or 1 year (43.9% [2.3%], 43.6% [2.2%], 43.5% [2.4%], and 42.8% [2.2%], respectively; P < .001) for low, mid-low, mid-high, and high transfer groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Nonprocedure hospitals vary substantially in their use of the transfer process for elderly patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction. High-transfer hospitals had greater use of invasive cardiac procedures after admission compared with low-transfer hospitals. However, higher transfer rates were not associated with a significantly lower risk-standardized mortality rate at 30 days. Moreover, at 1 year there was only a 1.1% difference (42.8% vs 43.9%) between hospitals with higher and lower transfer rates. These findings suggest that, as a single intervention, promoting the transfer of patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction may not improve hospital outcomes.

Financial stress and outcomes after acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the association between financial stress and health care outcomes. Our objective was to examine the association between self-reported financial stress during initial hospitalization and long-term outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used prospective registry evaluating myocardial infarction: Event and Recovery (PREMIER) data, an observational, multicenter US study of AMI patients discharged between January 2003 and June 2004. Primary outcomes were disease-specific and generic health status outcomes at 1 year (symptoms, function, and quality of life (QoL)), assessed by the Seattle Angina Questionnaire [SAQ] and Short Form [SF]-12. Secondary outcomes included 1-year rehospitalization and 4-year mortality. Hierarchical regression models accounted for patient socio-demographic, clinical, and quality of care characteristics, and access and barriers to care. RESULTS: Among 2344 AMI patients, 1241 (52.9%) reported no financial stress, 735 (31.4%) reported low financial stress, and 368 (15.7%) reported high financial stress. When comparing individuals reporting low financial stress to no financial stress, there were no significant differences in post-AMI outcomes. In contrast, individuals reporting high financial stress were more likely to have worse physical health (SF-12 PCS mean difference -3.24, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -4.82, -1.66), mental health (SF-12 MCS mean difference: -2.44, 95% CI: -3.83, -1.05), disease-specific QoL (SAQ QoL mean difference: -6.99, 95% CI: -9.59, -4.40), and be experiencing angina (SAQ Angina Relative Risk = 1.66, 95%CI: 1.19, 2.32) at 1 year post-AMI. While 1-year readmission rates were increased (Hazard Ratio = 1.50; 95%CI: 1.20, 1.86), 4-year mortality was no different. CONCLUSIONS: High financial stress is common and an important risk factor for worse long-term outcomes post-AMI, independent of access and barriers to care.

Body mass index and mortality in acute myocardial infarction patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have described an "obesity paradox" with heart failure, whereby higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower mortality. However, little is known about the impact of obesity on survival after acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Data from 2 registries of patients hospitalized in the US with acute myocardial infarction between 2003-2004 (PREMIER) and 2005-2008 (TRIUMPH) were used to examine the association of BMI with mortality. Patients (n=6359) were categorized into BMI groups (kg/m(2)) using baseline measurements. Two sets of analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression with fractional polynomials to model BMI as categorical and continuous variables. To assess the independent association of BMI with mortality, analyses were repeated, adjusting for 7 domains of patient and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Median BMI was 28.6. BMI was inversely associated with crude 1-year mortality (normal, 9.2%; overweight, 6.1%; obese, 4.7%; morbidly obese; 4.6%; P <.001), which persisted after multivariable adjustment. When BMI was examined as a continuous variable, the hazards curve declined with increasing BMI and then increased above a BMI of 40. Compared with patients with a BMI of 18.5, patients with higher BMIs had a 20% to 68% lower mortality at 1 year. No interactions between age (P=.37), sex (P=.87), or diabetes mellitus (P=.55) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be an "obesity paradox" among patients after acute myocardial infarction such that higher BMI is associated with lower mortality, an effect that was not modified by patient characteristics and was comparable across age, sex, and diabetes subgroups.

Relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin assessment and glucose therapy intensification in patients with diabetes hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between A1C and glucose therapy intensification (GTI) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A1C was measured as part of routine care (clinical A1C) or in the core laboratory (laboratory A1C, results unavailable to clinicians). GTI predictors were identified using hierarchical Poisson regression. RESULTS: Of 1,274 patients, 886 (70%) had clinical A1C and an additional 263 had laboratory A1C measured. Overall, A1C was <7% in 419 (37%), 7-9% in 415 (36%), and >9% in 315 patients (27%). GTI occurred in 31% of patients and was more frequent in those with clinical A1C both before (34 vs. 24%, P < 0.001) and after multivariable adjustment (relative risk 1.34 [95% CI 1.12-1.62] vs. no clinical A1C). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term glucose control is poor in most AMI patients with DM, but only a minority of patients undergo GTI at discharge. Inpatient A1C assessment is strongly associated with intensification of glucose-lowering therapy.

Variations in the use of an innovative technology by payer: the case of drug-eluting stents.

BACKGROUND: Despite receiving identical reimbursement for treating heart disease patients with bare metal stents (BMS) or drug-eluting coronary stents (DES), cardiologists' use of the new technology (DES) may have varied by patient payer type as DES diffused. Payer-related factors that differ between hospitals and/or differential treatment inside hospitals might explain any overall differences by payer type. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between payer and DES use and to examine between-hospital and within-hospital variation in DES use over time. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 4.1 million hospitalizations involving DES or BMS from 2003 to 2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. We estimated hybrid-fixed effects logit models and calculated the adjusted within-quarter, cross-payer differences in DES use. RESULTS: Coronary stent patients with Medicaid or without insurance were significantly less likely to receive DES than were patients with private insurance throughout the study period. The differences fluctuated over time as the popularity of DES relative to BMS increased and decreased. The within-hospital gaps paralleled the overall differences, and were largest in Q3 2003 (Medicaid: 11.9, uninsured: 10.9% points) and Q4 2008 (Medicaid: 12.8, uninsured: 20.7% points), and smallest in Q4 2004 (Medicaid: 1.4, uninsured: 1.1% points). The between-hospital adjusted differences in DES use by payer were small and rarely significant. CONCLUSIONS: We found substantial differences in DES use by payer within hospitals, suggesting physicians selected the new technology for patients in a manner associated with patients' payer type.

Use and effectiveness of intra-aortic balloon pumps among patients undergoing high risk percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry.

BACKGROUND: Intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP) frequently are used to provide hemodynamic support during high risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but clinical evidence to support their use is mixed. We examined hospital variation in IABP use among high risk PCI patients, and determined the association of IABP use on mortality in this population. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed data submitted to the CathPCI Registry between January 2005 and December 2007. High risk PCI was defined as having at least 1 of the following features: unprotected left main artery as the target vessel, cardiogenic shock, severely depressed left ventricular function, or ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. Hospitals were categorized into quartiles by their proportional use of IABP. We examined differences in in-hospital mortality across hospital quartiles using a hierarchical logistic regression model to adjust for differences in patient and hospital characteristics across hospital quartiles of IABP use. IABPs were used in 18,990 (10.5%) of 181,599 high risk PCIs. Proportional use of IABP varied significantly across hospital quartiles: Q1, 0.0 to 6.5%; Q2, 6.6 to 9.2%; Q3, 9.3 to 14.1%; Q4, 14.2 to 40.0%. In multivariable analysis, after adjustment for differences in patient and hospital characteristics, in-hospital mortality was comparable across quartiles of hospital IABP usage (Q1, Ref; Q2, odds ratio 1.11, 95% CI 0.99-1.24; Q3, OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.92-1.15; Q4, OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.94-1.18). CONCLUSIONS: IABP use varied significantly across hospitals for high risk PCI. However, this variation in IABP use was not associated with differences in in-hospital mortality.

US cardiologist workforce from 1995 to 2007: modest growth, lasting geographic maldistribution especially in rural areas.

A sufficient cardiology workforce is necessary to ensure access to cardiovascular care. Specifically, access to cardiologists is important in the management and treatment of chronic cardiovascular disease. Given this, we examined the supply and distribution of the cardiologist workforce. In doing so, we mapped the ratios of cardiologists, primary care physicians, and total physicians to the population age sixty-five or older within different Hospital Referral Regions from the years 1995 and 2007. We found that within the twelve-year span of our study, the cardiology workforce grew modestly compared with the primary care physician and total physician workforces. Also, despite increases in the number of cardiologists, there was a persistent geographic maldistribution of the workforce. For example, approximately 60 percent of the elderly population had access to only 38 percent of the cardiologists. Our results suggest that large segments of the US population, specifically in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, continue to have a lower concentration of cardiologists. This maldistribution could be addressed through a variety of strategies, including the use of telemedicine and economic incentives.

Effect of living alone on patient outcomes after hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction.

Considerable attention has been devoted to the effect of social support on patient outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, little is known about the relation between patient living arrangements and outcomes. Thus, we used data from PREMIER, a registry of patients hospitalized with AMI at 19 United States centers from 2003 through 2004, to assess the association of living alone with outcomes after AMI. Outcome measurements included 4-year mortality, 1-year readmission, and 1-year health status using the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Short Form-12 Physical Health Component scales. Patients who lived alone had higher crude 4-year mortality (21.8% vs 14.5%, p <0.001) but comparable rates of 1-year readmission (41.6% vs 38.3%, p = 0.79). Living alone was associated with lower unadjusted quality of life (mean SAQ -2.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] -4.44 to -0.35, p = 0.02) but had no impact on Short Form-12 Physical Health Component (-0.45, 95% CI -1.65 to 0.76, p = 0.47) compared to patients who did not live alone. After multivariable adjustment, patients who lived alone had a comparable risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.35, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.93) and readmission (hazard ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.28) as patients who lived with others. Mean quality-of-life scores remained lower in patients who lived alone (SAQ -2.91, 95% CI -5.56 to -0.26, p = 0.03). In conclusion, living alone may be associated with poorer angina-related quality of life 1 year after MI but is not associated with mortality, readmission, or other health status measurements after adjusting for other patient and treatment characteristics.

Factors influencing patient willingness to participate in genetic research after a myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Achieving 'personalized medicine' requires enrolling representative cohorts into genetic studies, but patient self-selection may introduce bias. We sought to identify characteristics associated with genetic consent in a myocardial infarction (MI) registry. METHODS: We assessed correlates of participation in the genetic sub-study of TRIUMPH, a prospective MI registry (n = 4,340) from 24 US hospitals between April 2005 and December 2008. Factors examined included extensive socio-demographics factors, clinical variables, and study site. Predictors of consent were identified using hierarchical modified Poisson regression, adjusting for study site. Variation in consent rates across hospitals were quantified by the median rate ratio (MRR). RESULTS: Most subjects consented to donation of their genetic material (n = 3,484; 80%). Participation rates varied greatly between sites, from 40% to 100%. After adjustment for confounding factors, the MRR for hospital was 1.22 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11 to 1.29). The only patient-level factors associated with consent were race (RR 0.93 for African Americans versus whites, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.99) and body mass index (RR 1.03 for BMI ≥ 25, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06). CONCLUSION: Among patients with an MI there were notable differences in genetic consent by study site, but little association with patient-level factors. This suggests that variation in the way information is presented during recruitment, or other site factors, strongly influence patients' decision to participate in genetic studies.

Who is missing from the measures? Trends in the proportion and treatment of patients potentially excluded from publicly reported quality measures.

BACKGROUND: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides public reporting on the quality of hospital care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Core Measures allow discretion in excluding patients because of relative contraindications to aspirin, ß-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. We describe trends in the proportion of patients with AMI with contraindications that could lead to discretionary exclusion from public reporting. METHODS: We completed cross-sectional analyses of 3 nationally representative data cohorts of AMI admissions among Medicare patients in 1994-1995 (n = 170,928), 1998-1999 (n = 27,432), and 2000-2001 (n = 27,300) from the national Medicare quality improvement projects. Patients were categorized as ineligible (eg, transfer patients), automatically excluded (specified absolute medical contraindications), discretionarily excluded (potentially excluded based on relative contraindications), or "ideal" for treatment for each measure. RESULTS: For 4 of 5 measures, the percentage of discretionarily excluded patients increased over the 3 periods (admission aspirin 15.8% to 16.9%, admission ß-blocker 14.3% to 18.3%, discharge aspirin 10.3% to 12.3%, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors 2.8% to 3.9%; P < .001). Of patients potentially included in measures (those who were not ineligible or automatically excluded), the discretionarily excluded represented 25.5% to 69.2% in 2000-2001. Treatment rates among patients with discretionary exclusions also increased for 4 of 5 measures (all except angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors). CONCLUSIONS: A sizeable and growing proportion of patients with AMI have relative contraindications to treatments that may result in discretionary exclusion from publicly reported quality measures. These patients represent a large population for which there is insufficient evidence as to whether measure exclusion or inclusion and treatment represents best care.

Incidence, correlates, and outcomes of acute, hospital-acquired anemia in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is common among patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction and is associated with poor outcomes. Less is known about the incidence, correlates, and prognostic implications of acute, hospital-acquired anemia (HAA). METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified 2909 patients with acute myocardial infarction who had normal hemoglobin (Hgb) on admission in the multicenter TRIUMPH registry and defined HAA by criteria proposed by Beutler and Waalen. We used hierarchical Poisson regression to identify independent correlates of HAA and multivariable proportional hazards regression to identify the association of HAA with mortality and health status. At discharge, 1321 (45.4%) patients had HAA, of whom 348 (26.3%) developed moderate-severe HAA (Hgb <11 g/dL). The incidence of HAA varied significantly across hospitals (range, 33% to 69%; median rate ratio for HAA, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.07 to 1.23, adjusting for patient characteristics). Although documented bleeding was more frequent with more severe HAA, fewer than half of the patients with moderate-severe HAA had any documented bleeding. Independent correlates of HAA included age, female sex, white race, chronic kidney disease, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, acute renal failure, use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, in-hospital complications (cardiogenic shock, bleeding and bleeding severity), and length of stay. After adjustment for GRACE score and bleeding, patients with moderate-severe HAA had higher mortality rates (hazard ratio, 1.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 2.98 versus no HAA) and poorer health status at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: HAA develops in nearly half of acute myocardial infarction hospitalizations among patients treated medically or with percutaneous coronary intervention, commonly in the absence of documented bleeding, and is associated with worse mortality and health status. Better understanding of how HAA can be prevented and whether its prevention can improve patient outcomes is needed.

Health care insurance, financial concerns in accessing care, and delays to hospital presentation in acute myocardial infarction.

CONTEXT: Little is known about how health insurance status affects decisions to seek care during emergency medical conditions such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI). OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between lack of health insurance and financial concerns about accessing care among those with health insurance, and the time from symptom onset to hospital presentation (prehospital delays) during AMI. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Multicenter, prospective study using a registry of 3721 AMI patients enrolled between April 11, 2005, and December 31, 2008, at 24 US hospitals. Health insurance status was categorized as insured without financial concerns, insured but have financial concerns about accessing care, and uninsured. Insurance information was determined from medical records while financial concerns among those with health insurance were determined from structured interviews. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Prehospital delay times (< or = 2 hours, > 2-6 hours, or > 6 hours), adjusted for demographic, clinical, and social and psychological factors using hierarchical ordinal regression models. RESULTS: Of 3721 patients, 2294 were insured without financial concerns (61.7%), 689 were insured but had financial concerns about accessing care (18.5%), and 738 were uninsured (19.8%). Uninsured and insured patients with financial concerns were more likely to delay seeking care during AMI and had prehospital delays of greater than 6 hours among 48.6% of uninsured patients and 44.6% of insured patients with financial concerns compared with only 39.3% of insured patients without financial concerns. Prehospital delays of less than 2 hours during AMI occurred among 36.6% of those insured without financial concerns compared with 33.5% of insured patients with financial concerns and 27.5% of uninsured patients (P < .001). After adjusting for potential confounders, prehospital delays were associated with insured patients with financial concerns (adjusted odds ratio, 1.21 [95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.41]; P = .01) and with uninsured patients (adjusted odds ratio, 1.38 [95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.63]; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Lack of health insurance and financial concerns about accessing care among those with health insurance were each associated with delays in seeking emergency care for AMI.

Differences in patient survival after acute myocardial infarction by hospital capability of performing percutaneous coronary intervention: implications for regionalization.

BACKGROUND: There are increasing calls for regionalization of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care in the United States to hospitals with the capacity to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Whether regionalization will improve outcomes depends in part on the magnitude of existing differences in outcomes between PCI and non-PCI hospitals within the same health care region. METHODS: A 100% sample of claims from Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65 years or older hospitalized for AMI between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2006, was used to calculate hospital-level, 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs). The RSMRs between PCI and local non-PCI hospitals were compared within local health care regions defined by hospital referral regions (HRRs). RESULTS: A total of 523 119 AMI patients was admitted to 1382 PCI hospitals, and 194 909 AMI patients were admitted to 2491 non-PCI hospitals in 295 HRRs with at least 1 PCI and 1 non-PCI hospital. Although PCI hospitals had lower RSMRs than non-PCI hospitals (mean, 16.1% vs 16.9%; P < .001), considerable overlap was seen in RSMRs between non-PCI and PCI hospitals within the same HRR. In 80 HRRs, the RSMRs at the best-performing PCI hospital were lower than those at local non-PCI hospitals by 3% or more. Among the remaining HRRs, the RSMRs at the best-performing PCI hospital were lower by 1.5% to 3.0% in 104 HRRs and by greater than 0 to 1.5% in 74 HRRs. In 37 HRRs, the RSMRs at the best-performing PCI hospital were no better or were higher than at local non-PCI hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of benefit from comprehensively regionalizing AMI care to PCI hospitals appears to vary greatly across HRRs. These findings support a tailored regionalization policy that targets areas with the greatest outcome differences between PCI and local non-PCI hospitals.

Mortality and readmission for patients with heart failure among U.S. News & World Report's top heart hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The rankings of "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report are influential, but the performance of ranked hospitals in caring for patients with routine cardiac conditions such as heart failure is not known. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using hierarchical regression models based on medical administrative data from the period July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006, we calculated risk-standardized mortality rates and risk-standardized readmission rates for ranked and nonranked hospitals in the treatment of heart failure. The mortality analysis examined 14 813 patients in 50 ranked hospitals and 409 806 patients in 4761 nonranked hospitals. The readmission analysis included 16 641 patients in 50 ranked hospitals and 458 473 patients in 4627 nonranked hospitals. Mean 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates were lower in ranked versus nonranked hospitals (10.1% versus 11.2%, P<0.01), whereas mean 30-day risk-standardized readmission rates were no different between ranked and nonranked hospitals (23.6% versus 23.8%, P=0.40). The 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates varied widely for both ranked and nonranked hospitals, ranging from 7.9% to 12.4% for ranked hospitals and from 7.1% to 17.5% for nonranked hospitals. The 30-day risk-standardized readmission rates also spanned a large range, from 18.7% to 29.3% for ranked hospitals and from 19.2% to 29.8% for nonranked hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report as "America's Best Hospitals" in "Heart & Heart Surgery" are more likely than nonranked hospitals to have a significantly lower than expected 30-day mortality rate, but there was much overlap in performance. For readmission, the rates were similar in ranked and nonranked hospitals.

Association of door-to-balloon time and mortality in patients > or =65 years with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Current guidelines recommend patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction receive primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 90 minutes of admission, although there are conflicting data regarding the relation between time to treatment and mortality in these patients. We used logistic regression analyses employing a fractional polynomial model to evaluate the association between door-to-balloon time and 1-year mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction > or =65 years old undergoing primary PCI from 1994 to 1996 (n = 1,932). Median door-to-balloon time was 128 minutes (interquartile range 92 to 178, 24.2% treated within 90 minutes). Overall 1-year mortality was 21.1%. Longer door-to-balloon times were associated with higher 1-year mortality in a continuous, nonlinear fashion (30 minutes 10.9%, 60 minutes 13.6%, 90 minutes 16.5%, 120 minutes 19.5%, 150 minutes 22.5%, 180 minutes 25.3%, 210 minutes 27.9%). The nature of the association between door-to-balloon time and 1-year mortality was best modeled by a second-degree fractional polynomial (p <0.001). Findings were similar after multivariable adjustment as any increase in door-to-balloon time was associated with successive increases in patients' 1-year mortality (30 minutes 8.8%, 60 minutes 12.9%, 90 minutes 16.6%, 120 minutes 19.9%, 150 minutes 22.9%, 180 minutes 25.5%, 210 minutes 27.7%). In conclusion, any delay in primary PCI is associated with increased 1-year mortality, suggesting efforts should focus on decreasing time to treatment as much as possible, even among those centers currently providing primary PCI within 90 minutes.

Racial differences in survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest.

CONTEXT: Racial differences in survival have not been previously studied after in-hospital cardiac arrest, an event for which access to care is not likely to influence treatment. OBJECTIVES: To estimate racial differences in survival for patients with in-hospital cardiac arrests and examine the association of sociodemographic and clinical factors and the admitting hospital with racial differences in survival. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Cohort study of 10,011 patients with cardiac arrests due to ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia enrolled between January 1, 2000, and February 29, 2008, at 274 hospitals within the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival to hospital discharge; successful resuscitation from initial arrest and postresuscitation survival (secondary outcome measures). RESULTS: Included were 1883 black patients (18.8%) and 8128 white patients (81.2%). Rates of survival to discharge were lower for black patients (25.2%) than for white patients (37.4%) (unadjusted relative rate [RR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.79). Unadjusted racial differences narrowed after adjusting for patient characteristics (adjusted RR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.75-0.88]; P < .001) and diminished further after additional adjustment for hospital site (adjusted RR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.82-0.96]; P = .002). Lower rates of survival to discharge for blacks reflected lower rates of both successful resuscitation (55.8% vs 67.4% for whites; unadjusted RR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.81-0.88]) and postresuscitation survival (45.2% vs 55.5% for whites; unadjusted RR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.79-0.91]). Adjustment for the hospital site at which patients received care explained a substantial portion of the racial differences in successful resuscitation (adjusted RR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.88-0.96]; P < .001) and eliminated the racial differences in postresuscitation survival (adjusted RR, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.92-1.06]; P = .68). CONCLUSIONS: Black patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest were significantly less likely to survive to discharge than white patients, with lower rates of survival during both the immediate resuscitation and postresuscitation periods. Much of the racial difference was associated with the hospital center in which black patients received care.

Influence of patient race on physician prescribing decisions: a randomized on-line experiment.

BACKGROUND: Prior research reports black patients have lower medication use for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether patient race influences physicians' prescribing. DESIGN: Web-based survey including three clinical vignettes (hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes), with patient race (black, white) randomized across vignettes. SUBJECTS: A total of 716 respondents from 5,141 eligible sampled primary care physicians (14% response rate). INTERVENTIONS: None MEASUREMENTS: Medication recommendation (any medication vs none, on-patent branded vs generic, and therapeutic class) and physicians' treatment adherence forecast (10-point Likert scale, 1-definitely not adhere, 10-definitely adhere). RESULTS: Respondents randomized to view black patients (n = 371) and white patients (n = 345) recommend any medications at comparable rates for hypercholesterolemia (100.0% white vs 99.5% black, P = 0.50), hypertension (99.7% white vs 99.5% black, P = 1.00), and diabetes (99.7% white vs 99.7% black, P = 1.00). Patient race influenced medication class chosen in the hypertension vignette; respondents randomized to view black patients recommended calcium channel blockers more often (20.8% black vs 3.2% white) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors less often (47.4% black vs 62.6% white) (P < 0.001). Patient race did not influence medication class for hypercholesterolemia or diabetes. Respondents randomized to view black patients reported lower forecasted patient adherence for hypertension (P < 0.001, mean: 7.3 black vs 7.7 white) and diabetes (P = 0.05 mean: 7.4 black vs 7.6 white), but race had no meaningful influence on forecasted adherence for hypercholesterolemia (P = 0.15, mean: 7.2 black vs 7.3 white). CONCLUSION: Racial differences in outpatient prescribing patterns for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes are likely attributable to factors other than prescribing decisions based on patient race.