[Acute coronary syndrome: unstable angina and myocardial infarction]

TREATMENT AFTER ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME: ANALYSIS OF PATIENT'S PRIORITIES WITH ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS

Background: Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death worldwide, with many individuals having experienced acute coronary syndrome (ACS). How patients with a history of ACS value aspects of their medical treatment have been evaluated rarely. The aim of this study was to determine patient priorities for long-term drug therapy after experiencing ACS.

Methods: To identify patient-relevant treatment characteristics, a systematic literature review and qualitative patient interviews were conducted. A questionnaire was developed to elicit patient's priorities for different characteristics of ACS treatment using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). To evaluate the patient-relevant outcomes, the eigenvector method was applied.

Results: Six-hundred twenty-three patients participated in the computer-assisted personal interviews and were included in the final analysis. Patients showed a clear priority for the attribute “reduction of mortality risk” (weight: 0.402). The second most preferred attribute was the “prevention of a new myocardial infarction” (weight: 0.272), followed by “side effect: dyspnea” (weight: 0.165) and “side effect: bleeding” (weight: 0.117). The “frequency of intake” was the least important attribute (weight: 0.044).

Conclusion: In conclusion, this study shows that patients strongly value a reduction of the mortality risk in post-ACS treatment. Formal consideration of patient preferences and priorities can help to inform a patient-centered approach, clinical practice, development of future effective therapies, and health policy for decision makers that best represents the needs and goals of the patient.

Reduce mortality risk above all else: a discrete-choice experiment in acute coronary syndrome patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in Germany and other industrialized countries. However, until now, little has been known about how people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) value aspects of their medical treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate patients' preferences regarding different antiplatelet medication options following an ACS.

METHOD

After identification of patient-relevant treatment attributes (a literature review and qualitative interviews), a discrete-choice experiment (DCE) including five patient-relevant attributes was conducted. The DCE used a forced-choice approach in which no "opt out" was present, as no treatment is not an option after ACS. The attribute and level combinations were created using a fractional-factorial NGene design with priors. Data analysis was performed using a random-effects logit model. An additional generalized linear latent and mixed models (GLLAMM) analysis was performed to evaluate subgroup differences.

RESULTS

ACS patients (N = 683) participated in computer-assisted personal interviews. Preference analysis showed a clear dominance of the attribute "mortality risk" (coefficient: 0.803). Ranked second was "side effect: dyspnea" (coefficient: 0.550) followed by "risk of a new myocardial infarction" (coefficient: 0.464) and "side effect: bleeding" (coefficient: 0.400). "Frequency of intake" was less important (coefficient: 0.025). Within the 3-class GLLAMM, the variables "marital status" (p = 0.008), "highest level of education" (p = 0.003), and "body-mass index" (according to World Health Organization cluster; p = 0.014) showed a significant impact on the estimated class probabilities.

CONCLUSION

Our study found "mortality risk" to be of the highest value for patients. Patient-centered care and decision making requires consideration of patient preferences; moreover, the information on preferences can be used to develop effective therapies after an ACS. The data generated will enable healthcare decision makers and stakeholders to understand patient preferences to promote patients' benefit.

[Perioperative therapy with antiplatelet agents]

Antiplatelet therapy is used to prevent thromboembolic complications in patients with artherothrombotic disease. In clinical routine an assessment of the risk of perioperative bleeding must be weighed against the risk of thromboembolic complications in the event of discontinuation of antiplatelet agents. The indications as well as the timepoint for the termination of antiplatelet therapy are important issues to consider. The premature interruption of oral antiplatelet therapy with recovery of platelet function may lead to recurrence of thromboembolic events. Especially patients with intracoronary stents are at threat when the dual platelet therapy is interrupted before complete endothelialization of the stent.