Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction; admission to angiogram time at a busy district general hospital

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Timely management of acute coronary syndromes, including patients presenting with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), is crucial in improving outcomes and reducing mortality. Clinical Guideline 94 (CG94) by National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) states that patients presenting with a NSTEMI with an intermediate or higher risk score should be offered coronary angiography within 96 hours of admission to hospital. Purpose The purpose of this audit is to assess how well our General Hospital adhered to the recommended NSTEMI intervention set by the NICE guidelines. Methods Data was collected between September and December 2019 for patients admitted with an NSTEMI to the cardiology department at our General Hospital. Data was analysed using in-patient paper notes and Microsoft Excel. Results Of the 54 patients admitted with NSTEMI, 67% met the NICE guideline for angiogram within 96 hours of admission. The most common reason for delay was infection or raised inflammatory markers (28%). Other medical reasons include pulmonary oedema (11.1%), acute kidney injury (11.1%) and stroke (11.1%). Another notable reason for delay to angiogram was weekend admissions and wait for cardiology bed (22.2%). Six-month mortality rates showed that, 75% of deceased patients did not undergo an angiogram within 96 hours of admission. Conclusion We have an elderly population with multiple co-morbidities. Therefore, whilst patients are being managed for other acute medical problems they are deemed unfit for an immediate angiogram ultimately causing a delay. Furthermore, some patients were not referred to cardiology immediately after the NSTEMI event which causes delay in organising the angiogram. Finally, some patients were awaiting a cardiology bed in the Acute Admissions Unit. This causes delay as patients cannot undergo angiogram without a cardiology bed available for recovery. These delays are causing significant differences in the mortality rates of NSTEMI patients. In order to address these issues, a hospital guideline for junior doctors regarding the management of NSTEMIs has been designed and distributed. The guideline emphasises the importance of early cardiology referral, the management of acute medical problems in NSTEMIs such pre-hydration to prevent acute kidney injury, and the medical management of NSTEMIs in line with the 2020 ESC guidelines. Finally, it would be useful to re-audit these findings to assess if mortality rates and adherence to the NICE and ESC guidelines improve following these interventions.