Citations

Introduction: Multi-disciplinary care with integration of the palliative care services (PCS) in acutely ill cardiac patients is known to improve resource utilization and overall patient care. However, there are limited data on the role of PCS in the care of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with cardiac arrest (CA). Methods: We used the National Inpatient Sample (2000-2017) to identify adult AMI admissions with concomitant CA. We evaluated temporal trends and predictors of PCS use, and in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and discharge disposition in AMI-CA admissions with and without PCS use. A propensity matching analysis using 1:1 nearest neighbor matching was performed between cohorts with and without PCS use to derive a propensity-matched sample with standardized differences <5% for all baseline characteristics. Results: During the study period, there were a total of 584,263 AMI-CA admissions, of which 26,919 (4.6%) received PCS. PCS use increased from <1% in 2000 to 11.5% by 2017. AMI-CA admissions that received PCS were on an average older (70.1 ± 13.0 vs 66.7 ± 13.5), had greater comorbidity with higher rates of cardiogenic shock (44.5% vs 26.6%) and non-cardiac organ failure (80.6% vs 41.6%)(all p<0.001). Admissions receiving PCS had lower rates of angiography (48.6% vs 63.3%) and percutaneous coronary intervention (37.4% vs 46.9%) use (p<0.001). Older age, greater comorbidity, and acute organ failure were independently associated with PCS use. In-hospital mortality was higher in the PCS cohort (84.6% vs 42.9%, adjusted odds ratio 3.62 [95% CI 3.48-3.76]; p<0.001). Similar findings were seen in the propensity-matched cohort with higher in-hospital mortality for AMI-CA admissions receiving PCS (84.7% vs 66.2%, p<0.001) The PCS cohort had higher do-not-resuscitate status use (47.6% vs. 3.7%), shorter hospital stays (4 vs 5 days), and more frequent skilled nursing facility discharges (73.6% vs. 20.4%); p<0.001. Conclusions: Despite an increase in PCS use in AMI-CA, it remains significantly underutilized, highlighting the need to further integrate PCS specialists into the care of high-risk conditions such as cardiac arrest to deliver holistic patient care.

Introduction: The role of seasons in the outcomes and management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with cardiac arrest (CA) remains understudied. Methods: We used the National Inpatient Sample (2000-2017) to identify adults AMI admissions with concomitant CA. Admission month was used to classify them into- Spring (March-May), Summer (June-August), Fall (September-November) and Winter (December-February) admissions. We evaluated seasonal variation in the prevalence of CA among AMI admissions and associated in-hospital mortality. Use of cardiac and non-cardiac procedures, hospital length of stay, hospitalization costs and discharge disposition were also analyzed. Results: Between 2000-2017, of the 10,880,856 AMI admissions with information on admission month available, CA was identified in 546,334 (5.0%). Incidence of CA was 4.9% in spring, 5.0% in summer, 5.1% in fall, and 5.1% in winter AMI admissions. Adjusted trends identified a steady increase in STEMI-CA admissions with a relatively stable or declining trend for NSTEMI-CA admissions across all seasons. AMI-CA admissions admitted in summer were less often female, had lower comorbidity, more often presented with STEMI and had higher rates of cardiogenic shock and shockable rhythms compared to AMI-CA admissions in spring, fall and winter. Compared to AMI-CA admissions in other seasons, those admitted in winter had slightly lower rates of coronary angiography (61.4% vs. 63.3%-64.3%) and PCI (45.6% vs. 47.2-48.4%) (p<0.001). Compared to those admitted in the spring, adjusted in-hospital mortality was higher for winter (OR 1.08 [95% CI 1.06-1.10]; p<0.001), lower for summer (OR 0.96 [95% CI 0.94-0.98]; p<0.001) and comparable for fall (OR 1.00 [95% CI 0.98-1.02]; p=0.91) AMI-CA admissions. Length of hospital stay, total hospitalization charges, and discharge dispositions for AMI-CA admissions were comparable across the seasons. Conclusions: Lower use of guideline directed therapies and higher in-hospital mortality was identified in winter AMI-CA hospitalizations. The role of pathobiology and/or impact of environmental conditions across seasons in AMI-CA remains to be evaluated.

AbstractBackgroundThere are limited national‐level data on the contemporary practices of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) use in acute myocardial infarction‐cardiogenic shock (AMI‐CS).MethodsWe utilized the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project‐National/Nationwide Inpatient Sample data (2005–2017) to identify adult admissions (>18 years) with AMI‐CS. MCS devices were classified as intra‐aortic balloon pump (IABP), percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (pLVAD), or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We evaluated trends in the initial device used (IABP alone, pLVAD alone or ≥2 MCS devices), device escalation, bridging to durable LVAD/heart transplantation, and predictors of in‐hospital mortality and device escalation.ResultsAmong 327,283 AMI‐CS admissions, 131,435 (40.2%) had an MCS device placed with available information on timing of placement. IABP, pLVAD, and ≥2 MCS devices were used as initial device in 120,928 (92.0%), 8202 (6.2%), and 2305 (1.7%) admissions, respectively. Most admissions were maintained on the initial MCS device with 1%–1.5% being escalated (IABP to pLVAD/ECMO, pLVAD to ECMO). Urban, medium, and large‐sized hospitals and acute multiorgan failure were significant independent predictors of MCS escalation. In admissions receiving MCS, escalation of MCS device was associated with higher in‐hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.38–1.75; p < 0.001). Admissions receiving durable LVAD/heart transplantation increased over time in those initiated on pLVAD and ≥2 MCS devices, resulting in lower in‐hospital mortality.ConclusionsIn this 13‐year study, escalation of MCS in AMI‐CS was associated with higher in‐hospital mortality suggestive of higher acuity of illness. The increase in number of durable LVAD/heart transplantations alludes to the role of MCS as successful bridge strategies.

Introduction: Limited clinical experience of new trainees has been associated with poor outcomes in the first month of training (July) in teaching hospitals. It remains unclear if this ‘July effect’ continues to be present in contemporary era in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Adult hospitalizations for AMI in May and July in urban teaching and non-teaching hospitals in the United States were identified from the HCUP-NIS database (2000-2017). Admissions to rural hospitals, and those without in-hospital mortality data were excluded. In-hospital mortality was compared between those admitted in May and July. A difference-in-difference analysis comparing a change in outcome from May to July in teaching hospitals to a change in outcome from May to July in non-teaching hospitals was also performed to evaluate the July effect. Results: During the study period, there were a total of 1,312,006 hospitalizations for AMI admitted in urban teaching (54.2%) or non-teaching (45.8%) hospitals in the months of May and July. Demographic characteristics were comparable between those admitted in May and July, however, May admissions had greater comorbidity and higher rates of acute multiorgan failure when compared to July admissions in teaching and non-teaching hospitals. Additionally, May AMI admissions to non-teaching hospitals had higher rates of cardiogenic shock (4.6% vs 4.3%) and cardiac arrest (5.2% vs 5.0%) compared to July admissions ( all p<0.001). July AMI admissions had lower in-hospital mortality compared to May admissions in both teaching (5.6% vs 5.8%; adjusted OR (aOR) 0.94 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.92-0.97]; p<0.001) and non-teaching (5.9% vs 6.3%, p<0.001; aOR 0.97 [95% CI 0.95-0.99]; p=0.02) hospitals. When we analyzed the July effect using the difference-in-difference model for in-hospital mortality, we did not identify a July effect for in-hospital mortality in AMI admissions (p=0.14). Conclusions: Unlike prior reports, we did not identify a July effect for in-hospital mortality in this large contemporary AMI population in the United States. Greater care and support for new incoming trainees and/or awareness of a potential July effect among hospitals may have resulted in improved outcomes in July when compared to May.

Introduction: There are limited data on the prevalence, management and outcomes associated with concomitant aortic stenosis (AS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: All adult hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of AMI were identified from the HCUP-NIS database (2000-2017). Admissions with a concomitant diagnosis of AS were compared to AMI admissions without AS. Outcomes of interest included prevalence of AS, in-hospital mortality, use of in-hospital cardiac procedures, hospitalization costs, length of stay, and discharge disposition. Results: During the study period, there were a total of 11,622,528 AMI admissions. Among these 513,688 (4.4%) were identified with concomitant AS. Adjusted temporal trends revealed an increase in prevalence of AS among STEMI (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] in 2017 vs 2000 1.15) and NSTEMI (AOR 2017 vs 2000 1.28) hospitalizations. AMI admissions with concomitant AS were on average older (78.8 ± 10.9 vs 67.1 ± 14.1), of female sex, had higher comorbidity, higher rates of NSTEMI (78.9% vs 62.1%), acute non-cardiac organ failure (13.4% vs 9.2%), and cardiogenic shock (5.1% vs 4.8%)(all p<0.001) when compared to those without AS. Concomitant AS was associated with significantly lower use of coronary angiography (45.5% vs 64.4%), percutaneous coronary intervention (20.1% vs 42.5%), coronary atherectomy (1.7% vs. 2.8%), and mechanical circulatory support (3.5% vs 4.8%) (all p <0.001), but had had higher rates of coronary artery bypass surgery and surgical aortic valve replacement (5.9% vs 0.1%) compared to those without AS. Admissions with AMI and AS had higher in-hospital mortality (9.2% vs. 6.0%; adjusted OR 1.12 [95% CI 1.10-1.13]; p <0.001). Concomitant AS was associated with longer hospital stay (median [interquartile range] 5[3-8] vs 3[2-6]), more frequent palliative care consultations (6.5% vs 2.3%), and less frequent discharges to home (44.6% vs 63.3%) when compared to AMI admissions without AS. Conclusions: In this large nationwide study, an increase in prevalence of AS in both STEMI and NSTEMI hospitalizations was noted. AMI admissions with concomitant AS had lower use of guideline-directed therapies, higher in-hospital mortality, and longer hospital stays.

Introduction: Despite well-established device selection algorithms, there remain wide variations in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device utilization in patients with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI-CS). Further, there are limited national-level data on the contemporary practices of MCS device use. Methods: To evaluate national utilization patterns of MCS devices, we identified adult admissions (>18 years) with AMI-CS from the HCUP-NIS data (2005-2017). Use of MCS devices including intraaortic balloon pump (IABP), percutaneous left ventricular assist devices (pLVAD) (Impella/Tandem Heart), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) during hospitalization was identified. We evaluated trends in the initial MCS device used (IABP alone, pLVAD alone, or ≥2 MCS devices), device escalation, bridging to durable LVAD/heart transplantation, and predictors of in-hospital mortality and device escalation. Results: Among a total of 327,283 AMI-CS admissions in this 13-year period, 132,146 (40.2%) had an MCS device with information on timing of placement. IABP, pLVAD, ≥2 MCS, and ECMO devices were used as initial device in 120,928 (92.0%), 8,202 (6.2%), 2,305 (1.7%), and 711 (0.1%) admissions, respectively. Most admissions were maintained on initiated MCS device with 1-1.5% being escalated (IABP to pLVAD/ECMO, pLVAD to ECMO). The median time to escalation across all devices categories was 2 (IQR 1-4) days. Urban, medium, and large-sized hospitals, and acute multiorgan failure were significant independent predictors of MCS escalation. In admissions receiving MCS, escalation of MCS device was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.38-1.75; p <0.001). Admissions receiving durable LVAD/heart transplantation increased over time in those initiated on pLVAD and ≥2 MCS devices resulting in lower in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: In this 13-year study, escalation from initial MCS device was associated with higher in-hospital mortality suggestive of higher acuity of illness. However, the observed increase in number of durable LVADs or heart transplantations may be an indication of the utility of these MCS devices as successful bridge therapies.

AbstractBackgroundThere has been conflicting reports on the effect of new trainees on clinical outcomes at teaching hospitals in the first training month (July in the United States of America). We sought to assess this “July effect” in a contemporary acute myocardial infarction (AMI) population.MethodsAdult (>18 years) AMI hospitalizations in May and July in urban teaching and urban nonteaching hospitals in the United States were identified from the HCUP‐NIS database (2000–2017). In‐hospital mortality was compared between May and July admissions. A difference‐in‐difference analysis comparing a change in outcome from May to July in teaching hospitals to a change in outcome from May to July in nonteaching hospitals was also performed.ResultsA total of 1,312,006 AMI hospitalizations from urban teaching (n = 710,593; 54.2%) or nonteaching (n = 601,413; 45.8%) hospitals in the months of May and July were evaluated. May admissions in teaching hospitals, had greater comorbidity, higher rates of acute multiorgan failure (10.6% vs. 10.2%, p < 0.001) and lower rates of cardiac arrest when compared to July admissions. July AMI admissions had lower in‐hospital mortality compared to May (5.6% vs. 5.8%; adjusted odds ratio 0.94 [95% confidence interval 0.92–0.97]; p < 0.001) in teaching hospitals. Using the difference‐in‐difference model, there was no evidence of a July effect for in‐hospital mortality (p = 0.19).ConclusionsThere was no July effect for in‐hospital mortality in this contemporary AMI population.

Background Information on impact of race and ethnicity on use and early outcomes of septal reduction therapies (SRTs) for obstructive hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy are limited. Methods and Results Using the National Inpatient Sample from January 2012 through December 2019, we identified all adult admissions with a primary diagnosis of obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and those undergoing SRT. Predictors of receiving SRT and outcomes including in‐hospital mortality, complications, and resource use were evaluated in racial and ethnic groups. Among a total of 18 895 adult admissions with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, SRT was performed in 7255 (38.4%) admissions. Septal myectomy was performed in 4930 (26.1%), while alcohol septal ablation was performed in 2325 (12.3%). In adjusted analysis, Black patient (versus White patient adjusted odds ratio, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.57–0.73]; P <0.001) and Hispanic patient admissions (versus White adjusted odds ratio, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.66–0.92]; P =0.003) were less likely to receive SRT. Among admissions undergoing SRT, in‐hospital mortality was significantly higher for Hispanic (adjusted odds ratio, 3.38 [95% CI, 1.81–6.30], P <0.001) and other racial and ethnic groups (adjusted odds ratio 2.02 [95% CI, 1.00–4.11]; P =0.05) compared with White patient admissions, whereas Black patient admissions had comparable mortality. Black, Hispanic, and other ethnic group patients had higher rates of SRT complications and more frequent dismissals to acute care facilities. Conclusions Among obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy hospitalizations, minoritized racial groups were less likely to receive SRT. Importantly, hospitalizations of Hispanic and other ethnic patients undergoing SRT had significantly higher in‐hospital mortality and complication rates. Further studies with granular echocardiographic information to assess indications for SRT are needed to better understand these differences.

Background and objectives: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)-related outcomes in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have improved over time, but there are limited data on the length of stay (LOS) in relation to in-hospital mortality. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort of adult AMI admissions was identified from the National Inpatient Sample (2000–2017) and stratified into short (≤3 days) and long (>3 days) LOS. Outcomes of interest included temporal trends in LOS and associated in-hospital mortality, further sub-stratified based on demographics and comorbidities. Results: A total 11,622,528 admissions with AMI were identified, with a median LOS of 3 (interquartile range [IQR] 2–6) days with 49.9% short and 47.3% long LOS, respectively. In 2017, compared to 2000, temporal trends in LOS declined in all AMI, with marginal increases in LOS >3 days and decreases for ≤3 days (median 2 [IQR 1–3]) vs. long LOS (median 6 [IQR 5–9]). Patients with long LOS had lower rates of coronary angiography and PCI, but higher rates of non-cardiac organ support (respiratory and renal) and use of coronary artery bypass grafting. Unadjusted in-hospital mortality declined over time. Short LOS had comparable mortality to long LOS (51.3% vs. 48.6%) (p = 0.13); however, adjusted in-hospital mortality was higher in LOS >3 days when compared to LOS ≤ 3 days (adjusted OR 3.00, 95% CI 2.98–3.02, p < 0.001), with higher hospitalization (p < 0.001) when compared to long LOS. Conclusions: Median LOS in AMI, particularly in STEMI, has declined over the last two decades with a consistent trend in subgroup analysis. Longer LOS is associated with higher in-hospital mortality, higher hospitalization costs, and less frequent discharges to home compared to those with shorter LOS.