Cardiovascular Statistics from the Good Practices in Cardiology Program - Data from a Brazilian Tertiary Public Hospital

BACKGROUND

The Good Practices in Cardiology Program is an initiative created by the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC) to improve the quality of care of cardiovascular disease patients in Brazilian public hospitals.

OBJECTIVES

To characterize patients admitted to a tertiary public hospital with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or heart failure (HF) and to evaluate performance indicators in both ACS and HF arms, with a pre-established target of 85% adherence to the SBC recommendations.

METHODS

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study through data collection of patients hospitalized between May 2016 and September 2019.

RESULTS

A total of 1,036 patients were included, 273 in the HF arm and 763 in the ACS arm. Mean age was 59.8 ± 12.0 years in the ACS and 57.0 ± 14.1 years in the HF, with a predominance of male patients in both groups. More than half of patients had some primary education and more than 90% reported a monthly income of less than five minimum wages. In ACS, the diagnosis of ACS with ST segment elevation was predominant (66.3%), and 2.9% of patients died. In HF, the most common etiology was Chagas disease (25.8%), and 17.9% died. Analysis of the performance indicators revealed an adherence rate higher than 85% to nine of the 12 indicators.

CONCLUSION

Quality programs are essential for improvement of quality of care. Performance indicators pointed to a good adherence to the SBC guidelines, mainly in the ACS arm.

Hospital Mortality from Myocardial Infarction in Latin America and the Caribbean: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Most cardiovascular deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries and myocardial infarction is one of the main life-threatening conditions.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed all-cause in-hospital mortality in patients admitted for myocardial infarction (STEMI and NSTEMI) in Latin America and the Caribbean from 2000 onward.

METHODS

We systematically searched in electronic bibliographic databases for cohort studies which reported in-hospital mortality due to STEMI and NSTEMI. A meta-analysis was performed and a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

We identified 38 studies (29 STEMI, 3 NSTEMI and 6 both). Pooled STEMI in-hospital mortality was 9.9% (95% CI: 9.1 - 10.7). Heterogeneity was not trivial (I2 = 74% and prediction interval = 6.6 - 14.5). The percentage of reperfusion therapy and decade explain part of the heterogeneity (I2 = 54%). The higher the rate of reperfusion therapy, the lower the in-hospital mortality (coefficient = -0.009, 95% CI: -0.013 to -0.006, p<0.001). This mortality was higher in the first decade as compared with the second (coefficient = -0.14, 95% CI: -0.27 to -0.02, p=0.047). Pooled NSTEMI in-hospital mortality was 6.3% (95% CI: 5.4 - 7.4) and heterogeneity was null.

CONCLUSION

Pooled STEMI in-hospital mortality in low- and middle-income countries was high in comparison with rates reported in high income countries. To improve these estimates, higher use of reperfusion therapy must be pursued. Pooled NSTEMI in-hospital mortality was similar to the ones found in high-income countries; however, it was based on few studies and most of them were carried out in two countries.

Assessment of the Impact of the Implementation of a Pre-Hospital Ambulance System on Acute Myocardial Infarction Mortality in a Developing Country

BACKGROUND

The effective management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is time-dependent.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the impacts of the implementation of prehospital care on admission rates and mortality associated with AMI.

METHODS

Retrospective, ecological study, which assessed data from the Brazilian Universal Health System, from all 853 municipalities of Minas Gerais, from 2008 to 2016. Excessive skewness of general and in-hospital mortality rates was smoothed using the empirical Bayes method. This study assessed the relationship between Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) in each municipality and the following 3 outcomes: mortality rate due to AMI, AMI in-hospital mortality, and AMI hospitalization rate, using the Poisson hierarchical model. Rates were corrected by age structure and detrended by seasonality and temporal influences. A confidence interval of 95% was adopted.

RESULTS

AMI mortality rates decreased throughout the study, on average 2% per year, with seasonal variation. AMI in-hospital mortality also showed a decreasing trend, from 13.81% in 2008 to 11.43% in 2016. SAMU implementation was associated with decreased AMI mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 0.967, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.936 to 0.998) and AMI in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.914, 95% CI 0.845 to 0.986), with no relation with hospitalizations (OR = 1.003, 95% CI 0.927 to 1.083).

CONCLUSION

SAMU implementation was associated with a modest but significant decrease in AMI in-hospital mortality. This finding reinforces the key role of prehospital care in AMI care and the need for investments on this service to improve clinical outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

Hospitalization for Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Population-Based Registry

Fundamento:

O infarto agudo do miocárdio com supradesnivelamento do segmento ST (STEMI) é uma das principais apresentações clínicas da cardiopatia isquêmica. Dados de base populacional são relevantes para entendimento contemporâneo da epidemiologia da doença.

Objetivo:

Descrever incidência, manejo terapêutico, desfechos clínicos hospitalares e eventos cardiovasculares do primeiro ano de seguimento dos indivíduos hospitalizados por STEMI.

Métodos:

Estudo de coorte prospectiva de base populacional com registro consecutivo das hospitalizações por STEMI em uma cidade do Sul do Brasil entre 2011 e 2014. Foram incluídos indivíduos com STEMI que apresentaram sintomas de isquemia miocárdica aguda nas últimas 72 horas. Os valores de p < 0,05 foram considerados significativos.

Resultados:

A incidência anual de hospitalizações por STEMI foi de 108 casos por 100.000 habitantes. A incidência ajustada foi maior entre os mais velhos (risco relativo 64,9; IC95% 26,9 – 156,9; p para tendência linear < 0,001) e entre os homens (risco relativo 2,8; IC95% 2,3 – 3,3; p < 0,001). Ocorreram 530 hospitalizações durante o período avaliado e a taxa de reperfusão foi de 80,9%. A mortalidade hospitalar e a taxa de eventos cardiovasculares em 1 ano foram, respectivamente, 8,9% e 6,1%. Os mais velhos apresentaram maior mortalidade hospitalar (risco relativo 3,72; IC95% 1,57 – 8,82; p para tendência linear = 0,002) e mais eventos cardiovasculares em 1 ano (hazard ratio 2,35; IC95% 1,12 – 4,95; p = 0,03).

Conclusão:

Este registro demonstra abordagem terapêutica e mortalidade hospitalar semelhante às observadas em países desenvolvidos. Entretanto, a taxa de hospitalizações foi maior comparada com esses países.

Clinical Competence in ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Management by Recently Graduated Physicians Applying for a Medical Residency Program

BACKGROUND

A significant reduction in the morbidity and mortality related to ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been achieved with the development of reperfusion therapies. Early diagnosis and correct initial management are important to ensure this benefit. In Brazil, recent graduates in medicine are responsible for a large part of the initial care provided for these patients.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the clinical competence in the diagnosis and initial treatment of STEMI by newly graduated physicians applying for a medical residency program.

METHODS

We assessed the performance of 771 applicants for the direct entry selection process of the FMRP-USP Clinical Hospital Medicine Residency Program, performed in a simulated setting of STEMI, with professional actors and medical evaluators, using a standardized checklist following the recommendations of the Brazilian Guidelines for the management of this disease.

RESULTS

The general performance score presented a median of 7 and an interquartile range of 5.5-8.0. In relation to the items assessed: 83% required ECG monitoring, 57% requested the insertion of a peripheral venous access catheter, 95% administered acetylsalicylic acid, 80% administered a second antiplatelet agent (p2y12 inhibitor), 66% administered nitrate, 71% administered morphine, 69% recognized the diagnosis of STEMI, 71% assessed the pain duration, 63% recognized the need for immediate transfer, 34% showed adequate communication skills and only 25% insisted on the transfer even in case of non-availability of beds.

CONCLUSIONS

The initial diagnosis and management of STEMI need to be improved in medical undergraduate courses and inserted into the reality of the hierarchical network structure of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).

Quality evaluation and future priorities for delivering acute myocardial infarction care in Sri Lanka

Aim

This study evaluates the quality of care for patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a tertiary hospital in Colombo using the European Society of Cardiology Quality of Care Working Group’s guidelines (2017).

Methods

A recently implemented electronic AMI registry m-Health tool was used for prospective data collection. Each patient was assessed for eligibility for each of the six domains of quality. Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events Risk Model for predicted probability of mortality, and scores for risk of bleeding complications (CRUSADE) and severity of heart failure (Killip classification) were calculated as per published guidelines. A composite measure of quality was derived from compliance with the six domains. Patients were followed up via telephone at 30 days following discharge to evaluate outcome and satisfaction. Organisational information was assessed by administrative review and interview.

Results

Between March 2017 and April 2018, 934 patients with AMI presented to the cardiology department. The majority of patients (90.4%) presented with features of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Mean (SD) overall compliance with the composite quality indicator (CQI) was 44% (0.07). Compliance of ≥50% to the CQI was achieved in 9.8% of STEMI patients. The highest compliance was observed for antithrombotics during hospitalisation (79.1%) and continuous measure of patient satisfaction (76.1%). The lowest compliance was for organisational structure and care processes (22.4%).

Conclusion

This study reports a registry-based continuous evaluation of the quality of AMI care from a low and middle-income country. Priorities for improvement include improved referral, and networking of primary and secondary health facilities with the percutaneous coronary intervention centre.

Implementing myocardial infarction systems of care in low/middle-income countries

Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, with an increasing trend from 6.1 million deaths in 1990 to 9.5 million in 2016, markedly driven by rates observed in low/middle-income countries (LMIC). Improvements in myocardial infarction (MI) care are crucial for reducing premature mortality. We aimed to evaluate the main challenges for adequate MI care in LMIC, and possible strategies to overcome these existing barriers.

Reperfusion is the cornerstone of MI treatment, but worldwide around 30% of patients are not reperfused, with even lower rates in LMIC. The main challenges are related to delays associated with patient education, late diagnosis and inadequate referral strategies, health infrastructure and insufficient funding. The implementation of regional MI systems of care in LMIC, systematising timely reperfusion strategies, access to intensive care, risk stratification and use of adjunctive medications have shown some successful strategies. Telemedicine support for remote ECG, diagnosis and organisation of referrals has proven to be useful, improving access to reperfusion even in prehospital settings. Organisation of transport and referral hubs based on anticipated delays and development of MI excellence centres have also resulted in better equality of care. Also, education of healthcare staff and task shifting may potentially widen access to optimal therapy.

In conclusion, efforts have been made for the implementation of MI systems of care in LMIC, aiming to address particularities of the health systems. However, the increasing impact of MI in these countries urges the development of further strategies to improve reperfusion and reduce system delays.