Background:
Previous reports are conflicting regarding outcomes, treatments, and processes of care after acute myocardial infarction (MI) for patients with chronic lung disease (CLD).
Methods:
Using the NCDR ACTION Registry
®
-GWTG
™
(AR-G), demographics, clinical characteristics, treatments, processes of care, and in-hospital adverse events after NSTEMI and STEMI were compared between patients with (n= 22,624; 14.2%) and without (n= 136,266; 85.8%) CLD. CLD was defined by a history of COPD, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema. Multivariable adjustment using published AR-G in-hospital mortality and major bleeding risk adjustment models was performed to quantify the impact of CLD on treatments and outcomes.
Results:
CLD was present in 10.1% of STEMI patients and 17.0% of NSTEMI patients. In both STEMI and NSTEMI, CLD patients were older, more likely to be female, and had more comorbidities including diabetes, renal disease, prior MI and heart failure, compared to those without CLD. Although on admission CLD patients were more likely to be on cardiovascular medications, by discharge slightly fewer CLD patients received composite core measures (aspirin, beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, and statins) (table). In NSTEMI, CLD was also associated with less use of invasive procedures and with increased risk of both death and major bleeding. In STEMI, major bleeding but not mortality was increased.
Conclusions:
CLD is a common comorbidity and is independently associated with an increased risk for major bleeding after MI. In NSTEMI, CLD is also associated with receiving fewer evidence-based medications, less timely angiography and revascularization, and increased in-hospital mortality. Close attention should be given to this high-risk subgroup for the prevention and management of bleeding complications after MI, and further investigation is needed to determine the reasons for treatment and outcome disparities in NSTEMI.
Molecular epidemiology: The impact of molecular biology in epidemiology research
