Outcomes after STEMI in old multimorbid patients with complex health needs and the effect of invasive management

Reperfusion strategies on the clinical outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients over 80 years old in China

AIMS

This study aims to explore the efficacy of reperfusion strategies on the clinical outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients over 80 years old in China.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A retrospective cohort study was performed on STEMI patients over 80 years old who underwent reperfusion strategies and no reperfusion between January 2014 and December 2021, based on the Chinese Cardiovascular Association (CCA) Database-Chest Pain Center. This study included a total of 42,699 patients (mean age 84.1 ± 3.6 years, 52.2% male), among whom 19,280 (45.2%) underwent no reperfusion, 20,924 (49.0%) underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 2495 (5.8%) underwent thrombolytic therapy. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that patients who underwent primary PCI strategy showed a significantly lower risk of in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57-0.67, P < 0.001] and the composite outcome (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.79-0.87, P < 0.001) compared to those who received no reperfusion. In contrast, patients with thrombolytic therapy exhibited a non-significantly higher risk of in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.86-1.14, P = 0.890) and a significantly elevated risk of the composite outcome (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.05-1.27, P = 0.004). During a median follow-up of 6.7 months post-hospital admission, there was a percentage 31.4% of patients died, and patients in the primary PCI group consistently demonstrated a reduced incidence of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.56-0.61, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

STEMI patients over 80 years old who underwent the primary PCI strategy are more likely to have favourable clinical outcomes compared to those who received no reperfusion, whereas thrombolytic therapy warrants careful assessment and monitoring.

Impact of age on pre-procedural TIMI flow in STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND

Advanced age is a major determinant of impaired prognosis among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the mechanisms associated with suboptimal reperfusion and enhanced complications are still largely undefined. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of age on the angiographic findings and the procedural results of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in patients with STEMI.

METHODS

A consecutive cohort of patients admitted for STEMI treated with pPCI were included. Infarct-related artery (IRA) patency was defined for preprocedural TIMI flow 3.

RESULTS

We included 520 patients, divided according to age tertiles (<61; 61-72; ≥73). Elderly patients were more often females, with hypertension, renal failure, prior myocardial infarction or PCI, with lower rates of smoking history, haemoglobin, leukocytes and cholesterol (P < 0.001), lower ejection fraction (P = 0.02), higher use of renin angiotensin system inhibitors, statins, ASA, calcium antagonists, diuretics and beta blockers. At angiography, for the IRA, percentage of thrombus (P = 0.02) and stenosis (P = 0.01), direct stenting (P = 0.02) and glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors (P = 0.04) inversely related with age, but for higher restenosis (P = 0.04). IRA patency was more common in patients aged ≥73 years (27.9% vs. 32.3% vs. 41.1%, P = 0.01). The impact of age on preprocedural TIMI flow was confirmed at multivariate analysis [adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 0.68 (0.47-0.98), P = 0.04].

CONCLUSION

The present study shows that among STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI, more advanced age represents an independent predictor of preprocedural IRA patency. Future studies will define the implications on procedural results and long-term prognosis.

Age-Related Mortality in STEMI Patients: Insight from One Year of HUB Centre Experience during the Pandemic

Background: Old patients have a poor prognosis when affected by ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of age on acute and mid-term mortality in STEMI patients over one year in the pandemic period. Methods: we collected data on 283 STEMI patients divided into three groups according to age (not old, “Not-O”, ≤74 y/o; old, “O”, 75−84 y/o; very old, “Very-O”, ≥85 y/o). Results: the three groups did not differ in their clinical or procedural characteristics. The Very-O patients had a significantly increased incidence of in-hospital MACE (35%), mortality (30.0%), and percentage of cardiac death (25.0%). The only two independent predictors of in-hospital mortality were the ejection fraction (EF) [OR:0.902 (95% CI) 0.868−0.938; p < 0.0001] and COVID-19 infection [OR:3.177 (95% CI) 1.212−8.331; p = 0.019]. At follow-up (430 +/− days), the survival rates were decreased significatively among the age groups (Not-O 2.9% vs. O 14.8% vs. Very-O 28.6%; p < 0.0001), and the only two independent predictors of the follow-up mortality were the EF [OR:0.935 (95% CI) 0.891−0.982; p = 0.007] and age [OR:1.06 (95% CI) 1.018−1.110; p = 0.019]. Conclusions: in very old patients, all the accessory procedures that may be performed should be accurately and independently weighed up in terms of the risk−benefit balance and the real impact on the quality of life because of the poor mid-term prognosis.

Multimorbidity in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome Is Associated With Greater Mortality, Higher Readmission Rates, and Increased Length of Stay: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this systematic review were to determine the magnitude and impact of multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) on mortality, length of stay, and rates of coronary intervention in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to compare the prevalence of cardiovascular versus noncardiovascular multimorbidities.

METHODS

MEDLINE, PubMed, MedlinePlus, EMBASE, OVID, and CINAHL databases were searched for studies published between 2009 and 2019. Eight original studies enrolling patients with ACS and assessing cardiovascular and noncardiovascular comorbid conditions met the inclusion criteria. Study quality was evaluated using the Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS

The most frequently examined cardiovascular multimorbidities included hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke/transient ischemic attack, coronary heart disease, and peripheral vascular disease; the most frequently examined noncardiovascular multimorbidities included cancer, anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, renal disease, liver disease, and depression. The prevalence of multimorbidity in the population with ACS is high (25%-95%). Patients with multimorbidities receive fewer evidence-based treatments, including coronary intervention and high-dose statins. Patients with multimorbidities experience higher in-hospital mortality (5%-13.9% vs 2.6%-6.1%), greater average length of stay (5-9 vs 3-4 days), and lower rates of revascularization (9%-14% vs 39%-42%) than nonmultimorbid patients. Women, despite being the minority in all sample populations, exhibited greater levels of multimorbidity than men.

CONCLUSIONS

Multimorbid patients with ACS are at a greater risk for worse outcomes than their nonmultimorbid counterparts. Lack of consistent measurement makes interpretation of the impact of multimorbidity challenging and emphasizes the need for more research on multimorbidity's effects on postdischarge healthcare utilization.

Admission glucose level and short-term mortality in older patients with acute myocardial infarction: results from the KORA Myocardial Infarction Registry

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To investigate the association between admission blood glucose levels and 28-day mortality as well as in-hospital complications in older patients with incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing modern treatment.

METHODS

From a German population-based regional MI registry, 5530 patients (2016 women), aged 65-84 years, hospitalised with an incident AMI between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2016 were included in the study. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between admission blood glucose and 28-day mortality as well as in-hospital complications after AMI. Analyses stratified according to age, diabetes and type of infarction (ST-elevation MI (STEMI)/non-STEMI) were conducted.

RESULTS

The adjusted ORs for the association between admission blood glucose and 28-day mortality in young-old (65-74 years) and old (75-84 years) patients with AMI were 1.40 (95% CI: 1.21 to 1.62) and 1.21 (95% CI: 0.98 to 1.50) per 1 SD increase in admission blood glucose, respectively. Furthermore, higher admission blood glucose was related to case fatality irrespective of the diabetes status and type of infarction only in the under-75 group. For the patients aged 75-84 years, it was only true for those without diabetes and STEMI. Admission blood glucose was also associated with major cardiac complications in both age groups.

CONCLUSION

Admission blood glucose was significantly associated with 28-day case fatality in patients with AMI aged 65-74 years but not 75-84 years; furthermore, in both age groups there was an increased risk of major complications. It seems that admission glucose may play a rather minor role in terms of case fatality in higher aged patients with AMI.