title: Improving in-hospital mortality in the setting of an increasing risk profile among patients undergoing catheter-based reperfusion for an acute myocardial infarction without cardiogenic shock.
abstract: Prompt myocardial reperfusion is the therapeutic goal for patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, there remains a paucity of clinical data from single centers solely dedicated to a catheter-based reperfusion strategy. Therefore, we sought to identify significant predictors of in-hospital mortality, to determine the changing profile of patient demographics and to identify the mortality trend over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for an AMI between January of 1982 and December of 1999 were included in this multivariable analysis (excluding cardiogenic shock). AMI was defined as an evolving myocardial infarction within the preceding 24 hours. The primary endpoint for this analysis was in-hospital mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 2,745 patients identified in this study, of which 8.3% (n = 228) were non-survivors. The significant multivariable predictors of in-hospital mortality included creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl [relative risk (RR), 5.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.0 8.1], ejection fraction < 40% (RR, 6.6; 95% CI, 4.3 10.0), multivessel disease (RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.9 4.2), female (RR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.6 3.1) and age > 70 years (RR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1 2.2). The incidence of patients with these high-risk characteristics increased in recent years; thus, the unadjusted slope of the mortality trend over 20 years was not significant. However, following adjustment for the temporal shift in high-risk variables, there was a significant reduction in the adjusted in-hospital mortality rate (RR, 0.89; 95% CI 0.8 0.98; p = 0.017). Despite the changing risk profile, the short-term mortality continues to improve for patients undergoing AMI PCI.
authors.affiliation: Mid America Heart Institute, St. Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri 64111, USA. smarso@saint-lukes.org
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Marso
authors.forename: Manohar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gowda
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: O'Keefe
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Coen
authors.forename: Ben D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: McCallister
authors.forename: Lee V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Steven B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Laster
authors.forename: Warren L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Barry D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Rutherford
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D012307:Risk Factors; D012770:Shock, Cardiogenic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome