title: Usefulness of red cell distribution width in predicting all-cause long-term mortality after non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a strong predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure, stable coronary artery disease, stroke and acute myocardial infarction. The aim of our study was to explore the predictive value of RDW on all-cause mortality in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational study includes 619 NSTEMI patients, discharged from Staten Island University Hospital between September 2004 and December 2006. Patients were divided into equal RDW tertiles and survival was evaluated in each tertile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients in the highest RDW tertile (RDW >14) had higher in-patient (7 vs. 1%) and 4-year (30 vs. 7%) mortality rates compared to those in the lowest tertile (RDW <13) (Wilcoxon χ(2) = 34.64, p < 0.0001). After controlling for Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events risk profile scores and other confounding variables, the RDW adjusted hazard ratio for 4-year all-cause mortality increased by 1.10 for each one unit increase in RDW (confidence interval 1.004-1.213, p = 0.042).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RDW is an independent predictor of all-cause long-term mortality in NSTEMI patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms of this association between RDW and adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, NY 10305, USA. basemnady2000 @ yahoo.com
authors.forename: Basem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Azab
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Torbey
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hatoum
authors.forename: Jasvinder
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khoueiry
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bachir
authors.forename: Joseph T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: McGinn
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCord
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lafferty
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D015897:Comorbidity; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis