Time of admission, quality of PCI care, and outcome of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Acute Coronary Syndrome Presenting during On- and Off-Hours: Is There a Difference in a Tertiary Cardiovascular Center?

Background and Objectives: ACS presents an acute manifestation of coronary artery disease and its treatment is based on timely interventional diagnostics and PCI. It has been known that the treatment and the outcomes are not the same for all the patients with ACS during the working day, depending on the availability of the procedures and staff. The aim of the study was to explore the differences in clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients admitted for ACS during on- and off-hours. Materials and Methods: The retrospective study included 1873 consecutive ACS patients admitted to a tertiary, university hospital that underwent coronary angiography and intervention. On-hours were defined from Monday to Friday from 07:30 h to 14:30 h, while the rest was considered off-hours. Results: There were more males in the off-hours group (on-hours 475 (56%) vs. off-hours 635 (62%); p = 0.011), while previous MI was more frequent in the on-hours group (on 250 (30%) vs. off 148 (14%); p < 0.001). NSTEMI was more frequent during on-hours (on 164 (19%) vs. off 55 (5%); p < 0.001), while STEMI was more frequent during off-hours (on 585 (69%) vs. off 952 (93%); p < 0.001). Patients admitted during on-hours had more multivessel disease (MVD) (on 485 (57%) vs. off 489 (48%); p = 0.006), as well as multivessel PCI (on 187 (22%) vs. off 171 (16%); p = 0.002), while radial access was preferred in off-hours patients (on 692 (82%) vs. off 883 (86%); p = 0.004). Left main PCI was performed with similar frequency in both groups (on 37 (4%) vs. off 35 (3%); p = 0.203). Death occurred with similar frequency in both groups (on 17 (2.0%) vs. off 26 (2.54%); p = 0.404), while major adverse cardio-cerebral events (MACCEs) were more frequent in the on-hours group (on 105 (12.4%) vs. off 70 (6.8%); p = 0.039) probably due to the more frequent repeated PCI (on 49 (5.8%) vs. off 27 (2.6%); p = 0.035). Conclusions: Patients admitted for ACS during working hours in a tertiary hospital present with more complex CAD, have more demanding interventions, and experience more MACCEs during follow-up mostly due to myocardial infarctions and repeated procedures.

Association of Admission Time and Mortality in STEMI Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who were admitted during off-hours and treated with primary angioplasty associated with an increased risk of mortality compared with those admitted during regular working hours. We performed a systematic literature search using PubMed, SCOPUS, Europe PMC, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases that was finalized on March 15, 2021. The primary outcome was mortality comprising early (in-hospital), midterm (30 days to 1 year), and long-term mortality (>1 year). A total of 384,452 patients from 56 studies were included. The overall mortality of acute STEMI patients admitted during off-hours and regular hours were 6.1 and 6.7%, respectively. Patients admitted during off-hours had similar risk of early, midterm, and long-term mortality compared to those admitted during regular working hours ([relative risk or RR = 1.07, 95% confidence interval or CI, 1.00-1.14, p  = 0.06; I 2  = 45%, p  = 0.0009], [RR = 1.00, 95% CI, 0.95-1.05, p  = 0.92; I 2  = 13%, p  = 0.26], and [RR = 0.95, 95% CI, 0.86-1.04, p  = 0.26; I 2  = 0%, p  = 0.76], respectively). Subgroup analyses indicated that the results were consistent across all subgroups ([women vs. men], [age >65 years vs. ≤65 years], and [Killip classification II to IV vs. Killip I]). Funnel plot was asymmetrical. However, Egger's test suggests no significance of small-study effects ( p  = 0.19). This meta-analysis showed that patients with acute STEMI who were admitted during off-hours and treated with primary angioplasty had similar risk of early, midterm, and long-term mortality compared with those admitted during regular working hours.

Association Between Out-of-Hour Admission and Short- and Long-Term Mortality in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives: Out-of-hour admission (on weekends, holidays, and weekday nights) has been associated with higher mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We conducted a meta-analysis to verify the association between out-of-hour admission and mortality (both short- and long-term) in AMI patients.

Design: This Systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Data Sources: PubMed and EMBASE were searched from inception to 27 May 2021.

Eligibility Criteria for Selected Studies: Studies of any design examined the potential association between out-of-hour admission and mortality in AMI.

Data Extraction and Synthesis: In total, 2 investigators extracted the data and evaluated the risk of bias. Analysis was conducted using a random-effects model. The results are shown as odds ratios [ORs] with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). I² value was used to estimate heterogeneity. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation was used to assess the certainty of the evidence.

Results: The final analysis included 45 articles and 15,346,544 patients. Short-term mortality (defined as either in-hospital or 30-day mortality) was reported in 42 articles (15,340,220 patients). Out-of-hour admission was associated with higher short-term mortality (OR 1.04; 95%CI 1.02–1.05; I² = 69.2%) but there was a significant statistical indication for publication bias (modified Macaskill's test P < 0.001). One-year mortality was reported in 10 articles (1,386,837 patients). Out-of-hour admission was also associated with significantly increased long-term mortality (OR 1.03; 95%CI 1.01–1.04; I² = 66.6%), with no statistical indication of publication bias (p = 0.207). In the exploratory subgroup analysis, the intervention effect for short-term mortality was pronounced among patients in different regions (p = 0.04 for interaction) and socio-economic levels (p = 0.007 for interaction) and long-term mortality was pronounced among patients with different type of AMI (p = 0.0008 for interaction) or on different types of out-to-hour admission (p = 0.006 for interaction).

Conclusion: Out-of-hour admission may be associated with an increased risk of both short- and long-term mortality in AMI patients.

Trial Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42020182364).

Influence of Admission Time on Health Care Quality and Utilization in Patients with Stroke: Analysis for a Possible July Effect and Weekend Effect

(1) Purpose: Undesirable health care outcomes could conceivably increase as a result of the entry of new, less experienced health care personnel into patient care during the month of July (the July effect) or as a result of the less balanced allocation of health care resources on weekends (the weekend effect). Whether these two effects were present in Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) system was investigated. (2) Methods: The current study data were acquired from the NHI Research Database. The research sample comprised ≥18-year-old patients diagnosed as having a stroke for the first time from 1 January 2006 to 30 September 2012. The mortality rate within 30 days after hospitalization and readmission rate within 14 days after hospital discharge were used as health care quality indicators, whereas health care utilization indicators were the total length and cost of initial hospitalization. (3) Results: The results revealed no sample-wide July effect with regard to the four indicators among patients with stroke. However, an unexpected July effect was present among in-patients in regional and public hospitals, in which the total lengths and costs of initial hospitalization for non-July admissions were higher than those for July admissions. Furthermore, the total hospitalization length for weekend admissions was 1.06–1.07 times higher than that for non-weekend admissions; the total hospitalization length for weekend admissions was also higher than that for weekday admissions during non-July months. Thus, weekend admission did not affect the health care quality of patients with stroke but extended their total hospitalization length. (4) Conclusions: Consistent with the NHI’s general effectiveness in ensuring fair, universally accessible, and high-quality health care services in Taiwan, the health care quality of patients examined in this study did not vary significantly overall between July and non-July months. However, a longer hospitalization length was observed for weekend admissions, possibly due to limitations in personnel and resource allocations during weekends. These results highlight the health care efficiency of hospitals during weekends as an area for further improvement.

[ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Analysis of Time Stamps in Hospital Administrative Data]

BACKGROUND

German hospital administrative data contain demographic, medical, and administrative information on inpatients, as well as time stamps, such as time of admission or when a medical procedure was carried out. Time stamps allow the calculation of important process indicators which may help to assess quality of care. However, regarding the plausibility of time stamps in German hospital administrative data, no information is as yet available. This study investigates time stamps through the example of ST-elevation myocardial infarction and percutaneous coronary intervention aiming to provide first indications on the plausibility of time stamp documentation.

METHODS

Based on complete national German hospital administrative data (DRG statistics) from 2014 to 2017, all inpatient cases with ST-elevation myocardial infarction in the first admitting hospital were identified. Date and time of admission and date and time of percutaneous coronary intervention were analyzed. Time intervals were calculated as difference between time of admission and time of percutaneous coronary intervention and were categorized in groups.

RESULTS

The analysis of time of admission of inpatient cases with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (n=254,719) showed a pattern with highest frequencies between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on working days. The pattern of time of percutaneous coronary interventions (n=206,079) was similar but revealed frequency peaks at noon and midnight. The share of inpatient cases with implausible time intervals between time of admission and time of percutaneous coronary intervention declined from 9.5% in 2014 to 7.8% in 2017 and showed high variation on the hospital level.

CONCLUSION

Analyzing time stamps in hospital administrative data may provide valuable information on treatment processes while clinical staff may be released from separate documentation tasks. However, the results of this study indicate that the reliability of time stamps is affected by implausible entries and several uncertainties. The quality of time stamp documentation in German hospital administrative data might be improved by setting incentives for correct documentation and by setting out definite specifications of time points, such as time of admission.

Percutaneous coronary intervention during on- and off-hours in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE

There are conflicting data on the clinical outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) based on the time of admission to the catheterization laboratory. Thus, we aimed to assess clinical outcomes in an unselected cohort of consecutive patients with STEMI treated with PCI during on-and-off hours of work.

METHODS

A total of 99,783 patients were included in the analysis. Patients were divided using the most frequently used definition: On-hours (Monday-Friday 07:00 AM-04:59 PM); off-hours (Monday-Friday 05:00 PM-06:59 AM, Saturday, Sunday, and nonworking holidays) (37,469 matched pairs). To avoid potential preselection bias, a propensity score was calculated to compare on-and-off hour groups.

RESULTS

Higher radiation doses were observed for PCIs performed during off-hours (1055.2(±1006.5) vs. 1081.6(±1003.25)[mGy] and p = 0.001). A similar prevalence of periprocedural complications was observed during on- and off-hours. However, there was a higher mortality rate during off-hours than during regular working hours (1.17% (439) vs. 1.49% (559) and p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Primary PCIs in STEMI performed during off-hours might be associated with a higher rate of periprocedural mortality and higher radiation doses than procedures conducted during regular working hours.

On- Versus Off-Hours Presentation and Mortality of ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Treated With Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

OBJECTIVES

The authors sought to assess the association between admission time with patient's care, procedure characteristics, and clinical outcomes within a contemporary ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) network of patients referred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

BACKGROUND

The effect of admission time on STEMI patient's outcomes remains controversial when primary PCI is the preferred reperfusion strategy.

METHODS

Characteristics and clinical outcomes of 2,167 consecutive STEMI patients admitted in a tertiary PCI-capable center were collected. On-hours were defined as admission from Monday through Friday between 8 am and 6 pm and off-hours as admission during night shift, weekend, and nonworking holidays. In-hospital and 1-year all-cause mortality were assessed as well as key time delays.

RESULTS

A total of 1,048 patients (48.3%) were admitted during on-hours, and 1,119 patients (51.7%) during off-hours. Characteristics were well-balanced between the 2 groups, including rates of cardiac arrest (7.9% vs. 8.8%; p = 0.55) and cardiogenic shock (12.3% vs. 14.7%; p = 0.16). Median symptom-to-first medical contact time and median first medical contact-to-sheath insertion time did not differ according to on- versus off-hours admission (120 min vs. 126 min; p = 0.25 and 90 min vs. 93 min; p = 0.58, respectively), as well as the rate of radial access for catheterization (85.6% vs. 87.5%; p = 0.27). There was no association between on- versus off-hours groups and in-hospital (8.1% vs. 7.0%; p = 0.49) or 1-year mortality (11.0% vs. 11.1%; p = 0.89), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In a contemporary organized STEMI network, patients admitted in a high-volume tertiary primary PCI center during on-hours or off-hours had similar management and 1-year outcomes.

The Impact of Out-of-Hours Presentation on Clinical Outcomes in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

Systems of care have been established to ensure patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) get timely access to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). In this study, we evaluated whether patients undergoing PPCI both in-hours and out-of-hours experience similar care and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

Of 9,865 patients who underwent PCI for STEMI from 2005 to 2016 and were enrolled in the multi-centre Melbourne Interventional Group registry, patients who had initially presented to a non-PCI capable hospital, received thrombolysis or presented >12hourspost-symptom onset were excluded. Our final study cohort of 4,590 patients were dichotomised by whether PPCI was performed in-hours or out-of-hours, and compared. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality.

RESULTS

The in-hours group included 1,865 patients (40.6%) while 2,725 patients (59.4%) had out-of-hours PPCI. Patients presenting out-of-hours had longer median door-to-balloon time (DTBT; 83 [IQR 61-109] vs. 60 [IQR 41-88] mins, p<0.01) and were more likely to receive a drug-eluting stent (p=0.001). Procedural characteristics were otherwise similar although rates of radial access were low overall (18.4%). No differences in in-hospital, 30-day or 12-month mortality were observed between the groups (p=NS). On Cox proportional hazards modelling, out-of-hours presentation was not an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.71-1.22). A landmark analysis of data from 2012 did not change the primary outcome.

CONCLUSION

Despite a slightly longer DTBT, patients undergoing PPCI out-of-hours experienced similar care and clinical outcomes to the in-hours group. Given the majority of patients with STEMI present out-of-hours, these data have implications for STEMI systems of care.

Mortality differences in acute myocardial infarction patients in the Netherlands: The weekend-effect

Objective

Several studies have shown that patients admitted with an acute myocardial infarction during the weekends have a higher mortality rate than those admitted during weekdays, possibly attributable to less trained personnel available and a lower use of medical procedures. The current study aimed to assess this ‘weekend-effect’ in a nationwide registry.

Methods

In the Netherlands, all inhabitants are, by law, obliged to have health insurance and all claim data are centrally registered. In 2012 and 2013, all national diagnose-codings of STEMI and NSTEMI patients were acquired. One-year mortality rates and treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were compared between weekdays and weekends (holidays included).

Results

In total, 59,534 patients (67 ± 13 years, 39,545(66%) male) were included of whom 33,904(57%) had a NSTEMI. Overall 6857(12%) patients died in the year following the acute myocardial infarction registration. In STEMI patients, no differences in one-year mortality rates were observed between admission on weekdays or weekends. In NSTEMI patients, one-year mortality was higher in those admitted during weekends (weekdays 11% versus weekends 13%, P < .001). Furthermore, STEMI patients admitted during weekends were more often treated with PCI (weekdays 77% versus weekends 81%, P < .001). Conversely, NSTEMI patients admitted during weekends were less often treated with PCI (weekdays 35% versus weekends 32%, P < .001).

Conclusion

Differences in treatment and mortality rates exist between acute myocardial infarction patients admitted during weekdays and weekends. NSTEMI patients admitted during weekends are less often treated with PCI and have a higher mortality rate than patients admitted during weekdays.

Impact of time of admission on short- and long-term mortality in the Vienna STEMI registry

BACKGROUND

Several studies have shown contradictive findings regarding mortality and hospital admission time in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of "on-" or "off-hour" admission on short- and long-term all-cause mortality of patients in the advanced Vienna STEMI network between 2003 and 2009.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In total, 2829 patients were included into this analysis. Patients were stratified according to admission time into "on-hour" admission (07:30 until 15:00h on weekdays) and "off-hour" admission (15:00-7:30h on weekdays and 24h on weekends). As endpoint of interest, all-cause mortality was investigated after 30days and 3years of follow-up, the latter for all patients and as Landmark analysis for survivors of the index event. Mean age was 60.5±13.3years, 2048 (72.4%) patients were male and 1260 (44.5%) patients presented with anterior wall infarction. 683 (24.1%) patients were admitted "on-hours", 2146 (75.9%) patients were admitted "off-hours". All-cause death occurred in 176 (6.2%) patients after a follow-up of 30days and in 337 (11.9%) patients after 3years. For short- and long-term all-cause mortality no significant differences could be detected between "on-" and "off-hour" admission in univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses as well as for propensity score adjusted outcome analysis.

CONCLUSION

In the Vienna STEMI network, "on-" or "off-hour" admission had no impact on short- and long-term mortality for all-comers presenting with acute STEMI. Our findings confirm the imperative need for well-structured STEMI networks of care, as previous data repeatedly demonstrated increased adverse cardiovascular outcome for "off-hour" admission.

Off-hours presentation is associated with short-term mortality but not with long-term mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The association between off-hours presentation and mortality in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the impact of off-hours presentation on short- and long-term mortality among STEMI patients.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from their inception to 10 July 2016. Studies were eligible if they evaluated the relationship of off-hours (weekend and/or night) presentation with short- and/or long-term mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 30 studies with 33 cohorts involving 192,658 STEMI patients were included. Off-hours presentation was associated with short-term mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.12, P = 0.004) but not with long-term mortality (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.94-1.07, P = 0.979). No significant heterogeneity was observed. The outcomes remained the same after sensitivity analyses and trim and fill analyses. Subgroup analyses showed that STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention do not have a higher risk of short-term mortality (OR 1.061, 95% CI 0.993-1.151). In addition, higher mortality was observed only during hospitalization (OR 1.072, 95% CI 1.022-1.125), not at the 30-day, 1-year or long-term follow-ups.

CONCLUSIONS

Off-hours presentation was associated with an increase in short-term mortality, but not long-term mortality, among STEMI patients. Clinical approaches to decrease short-term mortality regardless of the time of presentation should be evaluated in future studies.

Comparison of Outcomes of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated by Percutaneous Coronary Intervention During Off-Hours Versus On-Hours

Previous studies have reported worse outcomes and longer door-to-balloon times (DBTs) in patients presenting with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after normal working hours, during weekends, and on holidays (off-hours) compared with normal business hours (on-hours). Recent studies, however, have reported similar outcomes regardless of presentation time. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were queried from January 1990 through December 2016. Only studies comparing STEMI outcomes during off-hours versus on-hours with percutaneous coronary intervention were included. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to pool outcomes across the studies. Clinical end points included short- (<30 days of presentation), intermediate- (at 1 to 2 years), and long-term (at 3 to 4 years) stent thrombosis, mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). A total of 86,776 patients (62 years and 74.5% male) were identified from 39 studies. There was no significant difference between both groups with regard to mean DBT (odds ratio [OR] 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.73 to 4.22, p = 0.67) or median DBT (p = 0.19). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups for short-term end points including mortality (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.25, p = 0.08), MI (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.74, p = 0.18), MACE (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.20, p = 0.40), or stent thrombosis (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.82, p = 0.31). Similarly, intermediate-term end points were not statistically different for mortality (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.05, p = 0.46), MI (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.73 to 1.02, p = 0.08), or MACE (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.08, p = 0.98). Long-term end points did not differ statistically between groups for mortality (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.09, p = 0.46), MI (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.84, p = 0.44), or MACE (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.08, p = 0.67). In conclusion, patients presenting with STEMI during off-hours and treated with percutaneous coronary intervention had similar short-, intermediate-, and long-term outcomes compared with patients presenting during on-hours. DBT was not affected by the time of presentation.

[Impact of national cardiac, cardiac surgery, and intensive care conferences on cardiovascular mortality in Germany]

BACKGROUND

Thousands of physicians and other employees of the health system participate in major national congresses of German cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and intensive care physicians and are, thus, key players in the treatment of acute cardiovascular events. While differences in mortality during such congress days were described in the USA, Germany-wide data are missing.

METHODS

In order to study the effect of congresses on cardiovascular mortality, the numbers of daily cardiovascular deaths (ICD-10 codes: I01-I15, I20-I25, I30-I52) in Germany from 1997-2011 from the data of the Federal Statistical Office were used for the most important cardiac, intensive medical, and cardiac surgery congresses (DGAI, DGIIN, DGK, DGTHG, DIVI). For comparison, numbers of cardiovascular deaths at a defined time interval before and after the respective Congress were defined.

RESULTS

Over the 15-year study period, a total of 701,272 cardiovascular deaths (conference days: 233,456, nonconference days: 467,816) were observed during 89 conferences with 318 congress days and 638 control days. The relative risks of increased mortality on congresses were inconspicuous for the entire population (relative risk [RR] 0.998, confidence interval [CI] 0.994; 1.004), even after adjustment for gender, age group, professional, and ICD codes (RR 1.005, CI 0.951; 1.063).

CONCLUSION

National congresses of cardiologists, intensive care physicians and cardiac surgeons have no influence on the cardiovascular mortality in Germany.

Comparing routine administrative data with registry data for assessing quality of hospital care in patients with myocardial infarction using deterministic record linkage

Background

Assessment of quality of care in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) should be based on data that effectively enable determination of quality. With the need to simplify measurement techniques, the question arises whether routine data can be used for this purpose. We therefore compared data from a German sickness fund (AOK) with data from the Berlin Myocardial Infarction Registry (BMIR).

Methods

We included patients hospitalised for treatment of MI in Berlin from 2009-2011. We matched 2305 patients from AOK and BMIR by using deterministic record linkage with indirect identifiers. For matched patients we compared the frequency in documentation between AOK and BMIR for quality assurance variables and calculated the kappa coefficient (KC) as a measure of agreement.

Results

There was almost perfect agreement in documentation between AOK and BMIR data for matched patients for: catheter laboratory (KC: 0.874), ST elevation MI (KC: 0.826), diabetes (KC: 0.818), percutaneous coronary intervention (KC: 0.860) and hospital mortality (KC: 0.952). The remaining variables compared showed moderate or less than moderate agreement (KC < 0.6), and were grouped in Category II with less frequent documentation in AOK for risk factors and aspects of patients’ history; in Category III with more frequent documentation in AOK for comorbidities; and in Category IV for medication at and after hospital discharge.

Conclusions

Routine data are primarily collected and defined for reimbursement purposes. Quality assurance represents merely a secondary use. This explains why only a limited number of variables showed almost perfect agreement in documentation between AOK and BMIR. If routine data are to be used for quality assessment, they must be constantly monitored and further developed for this new application. Furthermore, routine data should be complemented with registry data by well-established methods of record linkage to realistically reflect the situation – also for those quality-associated variables not collected in routine data.

The Emergency Medical Care of Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

Optimizing the emergency medical care chain might shorten the time to treatment of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The initial care by a physician, and, in particular, correct ECG interpretation, are critically important factors.

METHODS

From 1999 onward, data on the care of patients with myocardial infarction have been recorded and analyzed in the Berlin Myocardial Infarction Registry. In the First Medical Contact Study, data on initial emergency medical care were obtained on 1038 patients who had been initially treated by emergency physicians in 2012. Their pre-hospital ECGs were re-evaluated in a blinded fashion according to the criteria of the European Society of Cardiology.

RESULTS

The retrospective re-evaluation of pre-hospital ECGs revealed that 756 of the 1038 patients had sustained a STEMI. The emergency physicians had correctly diagnosed STEMI in 472 patients (62.4%), and they had correctly diagnosed ventricular fibrillation in 85 patients (11.2%); in 199 patients (26.3%), the ECG interpretation was unclear. The pre-hospital ECG interpretation was significantly associated with the site of initial hospitalization and the ensuing times to treatment. In particular, the time from hospital admission to cardiac catheterization was longer in patients with an unclear initial ECG interpretation than in those with correctly diagnosed STEMI (121 [54; 705] vs. 36 [19; 60] minutes, p <0.001). After multivariate adjustment, this corresponded to a hazard ratio* of 2.67 [2.21; 3.24].

CONCLUSION

Pre-hospital ECG interpretation in patients with STEMI was a trigger factor with a major influence on the time to treatment in the hospital. The considerable percentage of pre-hospital ECGs whose interpretation was unclear implies that there is much room for improvement.

[Evolution of the interventional reperfusion strategy and reperfusion times in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction]

BACKGROUND

In patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI), the recommended times (first medical contact-to-balloon (M2B) <120 or <90min, and door-to-balloon (D2B) <45min) are reached in less than 50% of patients.

PURPOSE

To compare the interventional reperfusion strategy and reperfusion times between two series of consecutive STEMI patients referred for pPCI within 12hours of symptom onset, in 2007 and 2012.

METHODS

Retrospective study of 182 patients, 87 admitted from January 2007 to March 2008 (period 1), and 95 admitted from January to December 2012 (period 2). The procedural characteristics and the different times between onset of pain and mechanical reperfusion were gathered and compared by non-parametric tests.

RESULTS

Radial access, thromboaspiration, and drug eluting stents were more frequent, and cardiogenic shock was less common during period 2, compared with the period 1. The median time from first medical contact to balloon (M2B) decreased by 26% (135min, [quartiles: 113-183] in 2007 versus 100 [76-137] in 2012, P<0.001), in relation to the reduction in both prehospital times and time in the catheterization laboratory (D2B: 51 [44-65] and 44min [37-55], respectively, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The D2B and M2B times significantly decreased in our centre between 2007 and 2012, and reached the recommended values in >60% of the cases. This may be explained by better coordination between emergency medical units and interventional cardiologists, and by the presence of two paramedics in the catheterization laboratory for 24/24 7/7 pPCI since 2010 in France, in accordance with recent national regulation.

Circadian Dependence of Infarct Size and Acute Heart Failure in ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

OBJECTIVES

There are conflicting data on the relationship between the time of symptom onset during the 24-hour cycle (circadian dependence) and infarct size in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Moreover, the impact of this circadian pattern of infarct size on clinical outcomes is unknown. We sought to study the circadian dependence of infarct size and its impact on clinical outcomes in STEMI.

METHODS

We studied 6,710 consecutive patients hospitalized for STEMI from 2006 to 2009 in a tropical climate with non-varying day-night cycles. We categorized the time of symptom onset into four 6-hour intervals: midnight-6:00 A.M., 6:00 A.M.-noon, noon-6:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M.-midnight. We used peak creatine kinase as a surrogate marker of infarct size.

RESULTS

Midnight-6:00 A.M patients had the highest prevalence of diabetes mellitus (P = 0.03), more commonly presented with anterior MI (P = 0.03) and received percutaneous coronary intervention less frequently, as compared with other time intervals (P = 0.03). Adjusted mean peak creatine kinase was highest among midnight-6:00 A.M. patients and lowest among 6:00 A.M.-noon patients (2,590.8±2,839.1 IU/L and 2,336.3±2,386.6 IU/L, respectively, P = 0.04). Midnight-6:00 A.M patients were at greatest risk of acute heart failure (P<0.001), 30-day mortality (P = 0.03) and 1-year mortality (P = 0.03), while the converse was observed in 6:00 A.M.-noon patients. After adjusting for diabetes, infarct location and performance of percutaneous coronary intervention, circadian variations in acute heart failure incidence remained strongly significant (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

We observed a circadian peak and nadir in infarct size during STEMI onset from midnight-6:00A.M and 6:00A.M.-noon respectively. The peak and nadir incidence of acute heart failure paralleled this circadian pattern. Differences in diabetes prevalence, infarct location and mechanical reperfusion may account partly for the observed circadian pattern of infarct size and acute heart failure.

Mortality and treatment patterns among patients hospitalized with acute cardiovascular conditions during dates of national cardiology meetings

IMPORTANCE

Thousands of physicians attend scientific meetings annually. Although hospital physician staffing and composition may be affected by meetings, patient outcomes and treatment patterns during meeting dates are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze mortality and treatment differences among patients admitted with acute cardiovascular conditions during dates of national cardiology meetings compared with nonmeeting dates.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Retrospective analysis of 30-day mortality among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, or cardiac arrest from 2002 through 2011 during dates of 2 national cardiology meetings compared with identical nonmeeting days in the 3 weeks before and after conferences (AMI, 8570 hospitalizations during 82 meeting days and 57,471 during 492 nonmeeting days; heart failure, 19,282 during meeting days and 11,4591 during nonmeeting days; cardiac arrest, 1564 during meeting days and 9580 during nonmeeting days). Multivariable analyses were conducted separately for major teaching hospitals and nonteaching hospitals and for low- and high-risk patients. Differences in treatment utilization were assessed.

EXPOSURES

Hospitalization during cardiology meeting dates.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Thirty-day mortality, procedure rates, charges, length of stay.

RESULTS

Patient characteristics were similar between meeting and nonmeeting dates. In teaching hospitals, adjusted 30-day mortality was lower among high-risk patients with heart failure or cardiac arrest admitted during meeting vs nonmeeting dates (heart failure, 17.5% [95% CI, 13.7%-21.2%] vs 24.8% [95% CI, 22.9%-26.6%]; P < .001; cardiac arrest, 59.1% [95% CI, 51.4%-66.8%] vs 69.4% [95% CI, 66.2%-72.6%]; P = .01). Adjusted mortality for high-risk AMI in teaching hospitals was similar between meeting and nonmeeting dates (39.2% [95% CI, 31.8%-46.6%] vs 38.5% [95% CI, 35.0%-42.0%]; P = .86), although adjusted percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) rates were lower during meetings (20.8% vs 28.2%; P = .02). No mortality or utilization differences existed for low-risk patients in teaching hospitals or high- or low-risk patients in nonteaching hospitals. In sensitivity analyses, cardiac mortality was not affected by hospitalization during oncology, gastroenterology, and orthopedics meetings, nor was gastrointestinal hemorrhage or hip fracture mortality affected by hospitalization during cardiology meetings.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

High-risk patients with heart failure and cardiac arrest hospitalized in teaching hospitals had lower 30-day mortality when admitted during dates of national cardiology meetings. High-risk patients with AMI admitted to teaching hospitals during meetings were less likely to receive PCI, without any mortality effect.

Off-hour admission and outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions

BACKGROUND

Prior studies have suggested that patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who are admitted during off-hours (weekends, nights and holidays) have higher mortality when compared with patients admitted during regular hours.

METHODS

We analyzed consecutive patients with AMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] and non-STEMI) who were treated with percutaneous coronary interventions from January 1998 to June 2010 at an academic medical center. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between off-hour admission and clinical outcomes adjusted for demographic and clinical variables.

RESULTS

There were 3,422 and 2,664 patients with AMI admitted during off-hours and regular hours, respectively. Patients admitted during off-hours were more likely to have STEMI (56% vs 48%, P < .001), have cardiogenic shock at presentation (6% vs 4%, P = .002), and develop shock after presentation (6% vs 5%, P = .004). After multivariable analyses, off-hour admission was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% CI 0.84-1.49), 30-day mortality (OR 1.12, 0.87-1.45), or 30-day readmissions (OR 1.01, 0.84-1.20) but was significantly associated with composite major complications and any of emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, ventricular arrhythmia, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and gastrointestinal/retroperitoneal/intracranial bleeding (OR 1.27, 1.05-1.55, P = .015). There was no significant time trend in the adjusted mortality difference between off-hours and regular hours. The results were not different between STEMI and non-STEMI.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who were admitted during off-hours did not have higher mortality or readmission rates as compared with ones admitted during regular hours at an academic medical center.

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association between off-hour (weekends and nights) presentation, door to balloon times, and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

DATA SOURCES

Medline in-process and other non-indexed citations, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through April 2013.

STUDY SELECTION

Any study that evaluated the association between time of presentation to a healthcare facility and mortality or door to balloon times among patients with acute myocardial infarction was included.

DATA EXTRACTION

Studies' characteristics and outcomes data were extracted. Quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A random effect meta-analysis model was applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic and I(2).

RESULTS

48 studies with fair quality, enrolling 1,896,859 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. 36 studies reported mortality outcomes for 1,892,424 patients with acute myocardial infarction, and 30 studies reported door to balloon times for 70,534 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Off-hour presentation for patients with acute myocardial infarction was associated with higher short term mortality (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.09). Patients with STEMI presenting during off-hours were less likely to receive percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes (odds ratio 0.40, 0.35 to 0.45) and had longer door to balloon time by 14.8 (95% confidence interval 10.7 to 19.0) minutes. A diagnosis of STEMI and countries outside North America were associated with larger increase in mortality during off-hours. Differences in mortality between off-hours and regular hours have increased in recent years. Analyses were associated with statistical heterogeneity.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review suggests that patients with acute myocardial infarction presenting during off-hours have higher mortality, and patients with STEMI have longer door to balloon times. Clinical performance measures may need to account for differences arising from time of presentation to a healthcare facility.

Use of risk assessment analysis by failure mode, effects, and criticality to reduce door-to-balloon time

STUDY OBJECTIVE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services currently endorses a door-to-balloon time of 90 minutes or less for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Recent evidence shows that a door-to-balloon time of 60 minutes significantly decreases inhospital mortality. We seek to use a proactive risk assessment method of failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) to evaluate door-to-balloon time process, to investigate how each component failure may affect the performance of a system, and to evaluate the frequency and the potential severity of harm of each failure.

METHODS

We conducted a 2-part study: FMECA of the door-to-balloon time system and process of care, and evaluation of a single institution's door-to-balloon time operational data using a retrospective observational cohort design. A multidisciplinary group of FMECA participants described the door-to-balloon time process to then create a comprehensive map and table listing all process steps and identified process failures, including their frequency, consequence, and causes. Door-to-balloon time operational data were assessed by "on" versus "off" hours.

RESULTS

Fifty-one failure points were identified across 4 door-to-balloon time phases. Of the 12 high-risk failures, 58% occurred between ECG and catheterization laboratory activation. Total door-to-balloon time during on hours had a median time of 55 minutes (95% confidence interval 46 to 60 minutes) compared with 77 minutes (95% confidence interval 68 to 83 minutes) during off hours.

CONCLUSION

The FMECA revealed clear areas of potential delay and vulnerability that can be addressed to decrease door-to-balloon time from 90 to 60 minutes. FMECAs can provide a robust assessment of potential risks and can serve as the platform for significant process improvement and system redesign for door-to-balloon time.

Impact of transfer for angioplasty and distance on AMI in-hospital mortality

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of transfer status and distance on in-hospital mortality for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients undergoing angioplasty on the same or next day of hospital admission.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of English hospital administrative data using logistic regression modelling.

RESULTS

After risk adjustment for the patient baseline characteristics, transferred patients had a higher in-hospital mortality rate than those admitted directly to hospital for angioplasty performed on the same or next day: OR=1.25 (95% confidence interval: 1.02-1.52), P=0.029. There was no statistically significant increased risk of in-hospital mortality with increasing distance between home and angioplasty centre (OR=0.98 (0.84-1.16), P=0.842 for 6-15 km and 1.03 (0.87-1.22), P=0.768 for >15 km when compared with <6 km) or with increasing inter-hospital transfer distance for angioplasty (OR=0.84 (0.55-1.29), P=0.435 for 16-34 km and 0.88 (0.58-1.35), for >34 km when compared with <16 km).

CONCLUSIONS

Transfer status is associated with in-hospital mortality rate for AMI patients undergoing angioplasty on the same or next day of hospital admission. No relation between in-hospital mortality and the distance from home to angioplasty centre or inter-hospital transfer distance for angioplasty was found in these patients.

[Accuracy of the door-to-balloon time for assessing the result of the interventional reperfusion strategy in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction]

BACKGROUND

In patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), recent clinical guidelines recommend that primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should be performed within 90min of first medical contact or 45min after admission in cathlab. The Door-to-Balloon time (D2B) is widely used to measure the performance of interventional centres.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To analyze the time to reperfusion in a consecutive series of STEMI patients referred for primary PCI, and to evaluate the clinical accuracy of D2B in primary PCI.

METHODS

From January 2007 to March 2008, 177 patients were admitted within 12hours of a STEMI in our institution, and 87 were referred for a direct coronary angiography for primary PCI (47 by mobile medical emergency unit, 40 by the emergency department of the institution).

RESULTS

The median time from first medical contact to balloon inflation (M2B) was 135min [IQR 112-183]. Recommended times were fulfilled in a minority of patients (M2B<90min: 9%,<120min: 34%). Median cathlab D2B was 51min [IQR 44-65], and was less than 45min in 34% of patients. No differences for times to reperfusion within cathlab were found between in- and off-time hours. M2B and D2B were unavailable in 23 patients (26%), because of a spontaneous TIMI 3 flow reperfusion without indication for immediate PCI in 20 patients, contra-indication for PCI in two (distal occlusion, culprit vessel diameter less than 2mm), and failure in occlusion crossing by the guide-wire in one patient. In contrast, first medical contact- or door-to-reperfusion times, assessed by a TIMI 3 flow without no-reflow in culprit artery, were available in 95% of patients, and were shorter than M2B or D2B, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Although it is a feasible and reproducible process performance measure, D2B time is weakly associated with the outcome of the interventional reperfusion strategy in acute STEMI. This measure should be associated with an outcome performance measure, such as the rate of TIMI 3 flow achieved by primary PCI, or replaced by the Door-to-TIMI 3 flow reperfusion time.