Polyvascular disease and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in older patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.
BACKGROUND
The impact of polyvascular disease (peripheral arterial disease [PAD] and cerebrovascular disease [CVD]) on long-term cardiovascular outcomes among older patients with acute myocardial infarction has not been well studied.


RESULTS
Patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction aged ≥65 years from the CRUSADE (Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes with Early Implementation of the ACC/AHA Guidelines) registry who survived to hospital discharge were linked to longitudinal data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (n=34 205). All patients were presumed to have coronary artery disease (CAD) and were classified into the following 4 groups: 10.7% with prior CVD (CAD+CVD group); 11.5% with prior PAD (CAD+PAD); 3.1% with prior PAD and CVD (CAD+PAD+CVD); and 74.7% with no polyvascular disease (CAD alone). Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to examine the hazard of long-term mortality and composite of death or readmission for myocardial infarction or stroke (median follow-up, 35 months; interquartile range, 17-49 months). Compared with the CAD alone group, patients with polyvascular disease had greater comorbidities, were less likely to undergo revascularization, and received less often recommended discharge interventions. Three-year mortality rates increased with number of arterial bed involvement as follows: 33% for CAD alone, 49% for CAD+PAD, 52% for CAD+CVD, and 59% for CAD+PAD+CVD. Relative to the CAD alone group, patients with all 3 arterial beds involved had the highest risk of long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [95% CI], 1.49 [1.38-1.61]; CAD+CVD, 1.38 [1.31-1.44]; CAD+PAD, 1.29 [1.23-1.35]). Similarly, the risk of long-term composite ischemic events was highest among patients in the CAD+PAD+CVD group.


CONCLUSIONS
Among older patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, those with polyvascular disease have substantially higher long-term risk for recurrent events or death. Future studies targeting greater adherence to secondary prevention strategies and novel therapies are needed to help to reduce long-term cardiovascular events in this vulnerable population.
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Sumeet
S
Subherwal
Deepak L
DL
Bhatt
Shuang
S
Li
Tracy Y
TY
Wang
Laine
L
Thomas
Karen P
KP
Alexander
Manesh R
MR
Patel
E Magnus
EM
Ohman
W Brian
WB
Gibler
Eric D
ED
Peterson
Matthew T
MT
Roe
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D010359:Patient Readmission; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology