Acute coronary syndromes in the United States and United Kingdom: a comparison of approaches. The Antithrombotic Therapy in Acute Coronary Syndromes Research Group.
BACKGROUND
Patients with coronary artery disease are managed differently in different countries.


OBJECTIVE
These variations in patient management may affect clinical outcome, a possibility that should be taken into consideration in multicenter studies.


METHODS
In a binational, 3 months study of antithrombotic treatment of patients with unstable angina and non-Q-wave infarction (ATACS), we compared the experience in the four enrollment centers in the United States (US) with the three centers in the United Kingdom (UK). The 59 US patients and the 299 UK patients were similar with regard to age, rates of prior revascularization, prior positive exercise tests, medication use, and aspirin use.


RESULTS
US patients were more commonly women (45 vs. 28%), diabetic (30 vs. 4%), or hypertensive (52 vs. 31%), and had a prior coronary angiogram (30 vs. 18%). After enrollment, coronary angiography was performed more frequently in the US than in the UK (61 vs. 22%). Although the distribution of coronary disease was similar, revascularization without recurrent angina (19 vs. 4%, p < 0.001), or following recurrent angina (8 vs. 3%), was significantly more frequent in the US. Combined primary end points (recurrent angina, myocardial infarction, or death) did not differ between US (29%) and UK (25%) patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Therefore, international studies of acute coronary disease need to account for different treatments in different countries. These differences, in the small ATACS study, did not have a major impact on the composite primary outcome variables.
Adams
P C
PC
Department of Cardiology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, U.K.
Skinner
J S
JS
Cohen
M
M
McBride
R
R
Fuster
V
V
D000328:Adult; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D013577:Syndrome; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States