The impact of COPD on management and outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction: a 10-year retrospective observational study.
BACKGROUND
There are limited data describing contemporary trends in the management and outcomes of patients with COPD who develop acute myocardial infarction (AMI).


METHODS
The study population consisted of patients hospitalized with AMI at all greater Worcester, Massachusetts, medical centers between 1997 and 2007.


RESULTS
Of the 6,290 patients hospitalized with AMI, 17% had a history of COPD. Patients with COPD were less likely to be treated with β-blockers or lipid-lowering therapy or to have undergone interventional procedures during their index hospitalization than patients without COPD. Patients with COPD were at higher risk for dying during hospitalization (13.5% vs 10.1%) and at 30 days after discharge (18.7% vs 13.2%), and their outcomes did not improve during the decade-long period under study. After multivariable adjustment, the adverse effects of COPD remained on both in-hospital (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.99-1.50) and 30-day all-cause mortality (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.10-1.58). The use of evidence-based therapies for all patients with AMI increased between 1997 and 2007, with a particularly marked increase for patients with COPD.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the gap in medical care between patients with and without COPD hospitalized with AMI narrowed substantially between 1997 and 2007. Patients with COPD, however, remain less aggressively treated and are at increased risk for hospital adverse outcomes than patients without COPD in the setting of AMI. Careful consideration is necessary to ensure that these high-risk complex patients are not denied the benefits of effective cardiac therapies.
Department of General Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA; Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Electronic address: mihaela.stefan@bhs.org.
Mihaela S
MS
Stefan
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
Raveendhara R
RR
Bannuru
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Worcester, MA; University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Darleen
D
Lessard
Department of Medicine, Worcester, MA; University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Joel M
JM
Gore
Department of General Medicine, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA; Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
Peter K
PK
Lindenauer
Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Worcester, MA; University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Robert J
RJ
Goldberg
D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome