Optimal pharmacological treatment and adherence to medication in secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in Spain: Results from the CAPS study

Contemporary secondary prevention in survivors of ST-elevation myocardial infarction with and without chronic kidney disease: a retrospective analysis

Background

Survivors of myocardial infarction have an elevated risk of long-term mortality. We sought to evaluate guideline-directed medical treatment and its impact on long-term mortality in survivors of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) according to their chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage.

Methods

Using German health insurance claims data, 157 663 hospitalized survivors of STEMI were identified. Regarding different CKD stages, we retrospectively analysed the filled prescriptions of platelet inhibitors (PAI)/oral anticoagulation, statins, beta-blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonists (ACE-I/AT1-A) and their association with long-term mortality.

Results

Prescription rates for all four guideline-directed drugs were highest in patients without or with mild CKD and lowest in patients on dialysis. They dropped from 73.4% to 39.2% in patients without CKD and from 47.1% to 29% in patients on dialysis within the 5-year follow-up period. Mortality rates were dramatically increased in patients with CKD compared with patients without CKD (5-year mortality: no CKD, 16.7%; CKD stage 3, 47.1%; CKD stage 5d, 69.7%). Filled prescriptions of at least one drug class [one drug: hazard ratio (HR) 0.70, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.66-0.74; four drugs: HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.27-0.30; P < .001 for both] as well as the distinct drug classes (statins: HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.54-0.56; ACE-I/AT1-A: HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.67-0.70; beta-blocker: HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.85-0.90; PAI/oral anticoagulation: HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-1.00; all P < .05) improved long-term mortality.

Conclusions

An improved long-term guideline-recommended drug therapy after STEMI regardless of renal impairment might lead to beneficial effects on long-term mortality.

Patient Adherence to Secondary Prevention Therapies After an Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

Adherence to guideline-recommended, long-term secondary preventative therapies among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is fundamental to improving long-term outcomes. The purpose of this scoping review was to provide a broad synopsis of pertinent studies in a structured and comprehensive way regarding factors that influence patient adherence to medical therapy after ACS.

METHODS

Relevant articles focusing on adherence to medical therapy after ACS were retrieved from the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases (search date, September 7, 2021). Studies were independently screened, and relevant information was extracted.

FINDINGS

A total of 58 studies were identified by using the EMBASE and MEDLINE databases. Adherence to secondary prevention was moderate to low and steadily decreased over time. Nearly 30% of patients discontinued one or more medications within 90 days of their primary ACS, and adherence decreased to 50% to 60% at 1 year postdischarge. There were no major differences in adherence between drug classes. Factors influencing patient adherence can be broadly divided into 3 categories: patient related, health care system related, and disease related. Patients managed with percutaneous coronary interventions were more adherent to follow-up treatment than medically managed patients. Depression was reported as a major psychological factor that negatively affected adherence. Improved adherence was observed when higher levels of patient education and provider engagement were delivered during postdischarge follow-up, particularly when scheduled early. Notably, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events was lower in hospitals with high 90-day medication adherence than those with moderate or low adherence.

IMPLICATIONS

Patient nonadherence to guideline-recommended long-term pharmacologic secondary preventative therapies after ACS is multifactorial. A comprehensive multifaceted approach should be implemented to improve adherence and clinical outcomes. This approach should include key interventions such as early follow-up visits, high medication adherence at 90 days, patient engagement and education, and development of novel interventions that support the 3 broad categories influencing patient adherence as discussed in this review.

Healthcare Resources Utilization throughout the Last Year of Life after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Healthcare resource utilization (HRU) peaks in the last year-of-life, and accounts for a substantial share of healthcare expenditure. We evaluated changes in HRU and costs throughout the last year-of-life among AMI survivors and investigated whether such changes can predict imminent mortality. This retrospective analysis included patients who survived at least one year following an AMI. Mortality and HRU data during the 10-year follow-up period were collected. Analyses were performed according to follow-up years that were classified into mortality years (one year prior to death) and survival years. Overall, 10,992 patients (44,099 patients-years) were investigated. Throughout the follow-up period, 2,885 (26.3%) patients died. The HRU parameters and total costs were strong independent predictors of mortality during a subsequent year. While a direct association between mortality and hospital services (length of in-hospital stay and emergency department visits) was observed, the association with ambulatory services utilization was reversed. The discriminative ability (c-statistics) of a multivariable model including the HRU parameters for predicting the mortality in the subsequent year, was 0.88. In conclusion, throughout the last year of life, hospital-centered HRU and costs of AMI survivors increase while utilization of ambulatory services decrease. HRUs are strong and independent predictors of an imminent mortality year among these patients.

Relationship Among Treatment Adherence, Family Functioning, and Self-Care Agency in Colombian Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

BACKGROUND

Multiple factors affect treatment adherence in individuals with cardiovascular disease. However, information on the relationships among treatment adherence, family functioning, and self-care agency in these patients and their families is limited.

PURPOSE

This study was developed to determine the relationships among treatment adherence, family functioning, self-care agency, and sociodemographic variables in patients with cardiovascular disease. Self-care agency, as defined by Orem, is the dynamic process patients use to engage in their own healthcare that involves discerning and addressing factors that allow their making decisions that improve self-care abilities.

METHODS

This cross-sectional, observational-analytical study enrolled 151 adult patients with cardiovascular diseases who had undergone pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments and 108 family members of these patients who had consented to participate. Measurements were performed using the "Questionnaire for measuring treatment adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease," the "Family Functioning Assessment Scale," and the "Self-care Agency Scale."

RESULTS

Of the 151 patients, 119 (78.8%) were assessed as having a low risk of nonadherence, 60 (39.7%) as having low family functioning, and 131 (86.8%) as having high self-care agency. Treatment adherence and self-care agency showed a moderate and significant correlation ( r = .66, p < .001). Similarly, treatment adherence and family functioning showed a low but significant correlation ( r = .35, p < .001). Moreover, significant multivariate associations were found among the variables of interest. Patients with a low risk of nonadherence were found to be more likely to have a secondary or postsecondary education, not to have vision or hearing problems, and to have a contributory affiliation mode with the health system or private health insurance. In addition, participants with moderate or high levels of family functioning were less likely to be workers or to not have hearing or vision problems. Finally, significant differences were noted between patients with low self-care agency and those with high self-care agency in terms of kinship relationship with family members and affiliation mode with the health system.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The results of this research help clarify the issue of treatment adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease. Although family functioning and self-care agency were found to be low to moderately correlated with treatment adherence, relevant information regarding these variables and sociodemographic variables is presented in this study. Nurses may use these results as a reference to design nursing care plans and interventions to address the conditions of their patients more appropriately.

Adherence to Antiplatelet Medications among Persistent and Non-Persistent Older Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease

Secondary prevention of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) includes administration of antiplatelet agents, and adherence to medication is a requirement for an effective treatment. The aim of this study was to analyse adherence measured using the proportion of days covered (PDC) index separately in persistent and non-persistent patients, and to identify patient- and medication-related characteristics associated with non-adherence in these patient groups. The study cohort of 9178 patients aged ≥ 65 years in whom PAD was diagnosed in 1/–12/2012 included 6146 persistent and 3032 non-persistent patients. Non-adherence was identified as PDC < 80%. Characteristics associated with non-adherence were determined using the binary logistic regression model. In the group of persistent patients, 15.3% of subjects were identified as non-adherent, while among non-persistent patients, 26.9% of subjects were non-adherent to antiplatelet medication. Administration of dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel) and a general practitioner as index prescriber were associated with adherence in both patient groups. Our study revealed a relatively high proportion of adherent patients not only in the group of persistent patients but also in the group of non-persistent patients before discontinuation. These results indicate that most non-persistent PAD patients discontinue antiplatelet treatment rapidly after a certain period of adherence.

Prevalence of pharmacological adherence in patients with coronary artery disease and associated factors

Objective:

to assess the prevalence of pharmacological adherence in patients with coronary artery disease and to identify factors associated with adherence.

Method:

a crosssectional, correlational study, including 198 patients with a previous diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Pharmacological adherence was assessed by the four-item Morisky Green test, and the factors that potentially interfere with adherence were considered independent variables. The association between the variables was determined by the Cox model, with a 5% significance level.

Results:

43% of the patients adhered to the treatment. Fatigue and palpitation, never having consumed alcohol and being served by medical insurance were associated with adherence. Lack of adherence was associated with considering the treatment complex, consumption of alcohol and being served by the public health care system. In the multiple analysis, the patients with fatigue and palpitations had a prevalence of adherence around three times higher and alcohol consumption was associated with a 2.88 times greater chance of non-adherence.

Conclusion:

more than half of the patients were classified as non-adherent. Interventions can be directed to some factors associated with lack of adherence.

Main barriers in the management of dyslipidaemias: Intolerants

The lack of achieving the LDL-cholesterol goal observed in epidemiological studies, highlights the difficulty of transferring the benefit of the hypolipidaemic treatment noted in clinical trials, to current clinical practice. Although the reasons for not reaching LDL targets are probably multiple, i.e. treatment non-adherence, or therapeutic inertia, or treatment discontinuation as a consequence of statin intolerance, is frequently described. Statins are safe medications. However, 10 to 20% of the population refer to myalgias associated with their use, and 1 to 3% abandon treatment for this cause. In these subjects, it is necessary to change to a different statin, to use lower doses of statins, or to use irregular prescription regimes. If these actions are not useful, emphasis should be placed on the importance of hygienic and dietary recommendations and, when needed and depending on the cholesterol goal to achieve, the need of other lipid lowering treatments, like ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrants, bempedoic acid, or PCSK9i, often in combination.

Prevalence and Predictors of Out-of-Target LDL Cholesterol 1 to 3 Years After Myocardial Infarction. A Subanalysis From the EYESHOT Post-MI Registry

BACKGROUND

There is an incomplete understanding of the prevalence and predictors of attainment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal after myocardial infarction (MI).

AIM

To evaluate the prevalence of achievement of LDL-C goal of 70 mg/dL, to identify the baseline features associated with suboptimal lipid control, and to assess the use of LDL-C-lowering drug therapies (LLT) beyond the first year after MI.

METHODS

The EYESHOT Post-MI was a prospective, cross-sectional, Italian registry, which enrolled patients presenting to cardiologist 1 to 3 years after MI. In this retrospective post-hoc analysis, patients were categorized in 2 groups according to the achievement or not of the LDL-C goal of 70 mg/dL. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the baseline features associate with LDL-C≥70 mg/dL.

RESULTS

The study population included 903 patients (mean age 65.5 ± 11.5 years). Among them, LDL-C was ≥70 mg/dL in 474 (52.5%). Male sex (P = 0.031), hypertension (P = 0.024), prior percutaneous coronary intervention (P = 0.016) and high education level (P = 0.008) were higher in the LDL-C <70 group. At multivariable analysis, low education level was an independent predictor of LDL-C≥70 mg/dL (OR:1.582; 95%CI, 1.156-2.165; P = 0.004). Conversely, hypertension increased the probability to achieve the LDL-C goal (OR:0.650; 95%CI, 0.443-0.954; P = 0.028). Among off-target patients, LLT was not modified in the majority of cases (67.3%), intensified in 85 (18.6%), and actually reduced in 63 patients (13.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients presenting to cardiologists 1 to 3 years from the last MI event, LDL-C is not under control in a large proportion of patients, particularly in those with a low education level or without hypertension. LLT is underused in this very-high-risk setting.

Mortality and healthcare resource utilization following acute myocardial infarction according to adherence to recommended medical therapy guidelines

Guideline recommended medical therapy (GRMT) plays a pivotal role in improving long-term outcomes and healthcare burden of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. We evaluated patients' adherence to GRMT following AMI and the association with long-term (up-to 10 years) mortality, healthcare resource utilization and costs.

METHODS

AMI patients hospitalized in a tertiary medical center in Israel that survived at least a year following post-discharge and enrolled in the two largest health plans were analyzed. Data were obtained from computerized medical records. Patients were defined as adherent when ≥80 % of the GRMT prescriptions were issue during the first post-discharge year. Hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) visits, primary care utilization and outpatient consulting clinic and other ambulatory services expenditure were calculated annually.

RESULTS

Overall 8287 patients qualified for the study (mean age 65.0 ± 13.6 years, 69.7 % males). Adherent patients (n = 1767, 21.3 %) were more likely to be younger, women and increased prevalence of most traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Throughout the follow-up, 2620 patients (31.6 %) died, 22.0 % versus 34.2 %, in the adherent vs. the non-adherent group (adjHR = 0.816, 95 % CI:0.730-0.913, p < 0.001). Reduced hospitalizations (adjOR = 0.783, p < 0.001), ED visits (adjOR = 0.895, p = 0.033), and costs (adjOR = 0.744, p < 0.001), yet increased primary clinics (adjOR = 2.173, p < 0.001) ambulatory (adjOR = 1.072, p = 0.018) and consultant (adjOR = 1.162, p < 0.001) visits, were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Adherence to GRMT following AMI is associated with decreased mortality, hospitalizations and costs.

Attainment of Guideline-Directed Medical Treatment in Stable Ischemic Heart Disease Patients With and Without Chronic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND

Stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, whether guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is adequately implemented in patients with SIHD and CKD is unknown.

HYPOTHESIS

Use of GDMT and achievement of treatment targets would be higher in SIHD patients without CKD than in patients with CKD.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of 563 consecutive patients with SIHD (mean age 67.8 years, 84% Caucasians, 40% females). CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of < 60 mL/min/1.73m² using the four-variable MDRD Study equation. We examined the likelihood of achieving GDMT targets (prescription of high-intensity statins, antiplatelet agents, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels < 70 mg/dL, blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg, and hemoglobin A1C < 7% if diabetes) in patients with (n = 166) and without CKD (n = 397).

RESULTS

Compared with the non-CKD group, CKD patients were significantly older (72 vs 66 years; p < 0.001), more commonly female (49 vs 36%; p = 0.002), had a higher prevalence of diabetes (46 vs 34%; p = 0.004), and left ventricular systolic ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% (23 vs. 10%, p < 0.001). All GDMT goals were achieved in 26% and 24% of patients with and without CKD, respectively (p = 0.712). There were no between-group differences in achieving individual GDMT goals with the exception of RAASi (CKD vs non-CKD: adjusted risk ratio 0.73, 95% CI 0.62-0.87; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Attainment of GDMT goals in SIHD patients with CKD was similar to patients without CKD, with the exception of lower rates of RAASi use in the CKD group.

Risk factors associated with severe outcomes in adult hospitalized patients according to influenza type and subtype

Seasonal influenza is a cause of hospitalization, especially in people with underlying disease or extreme age, and its severity may differ depending on the types and subtypes of circulating viruses. We investigated the factors associated with ICU admission or death in hospitalized patients with severe laboratory-confirmed influenza according to the viral type and subtype. An observational epidemiological study was carried out in patients aged ≥18 years from 12 Catalan hospitals between 2010 and 2016. For each reported case we collected demographic, virological and clinical characteristics. A mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to estimate crude and adjusted ORs. 1726 hospitalized patients were included: 595 (34.5%) were admitted to the ICU and 224 (13.0%) died. Lower ICU admission was associated with age ≥75 years in all influenza types and subtypes and with age 65-74 years for type A. In contrast, the 65-74 and ≥75 years age groups were associated with an increased risk of death in all types and subtypes, especially for type B (aOR 27.42, 95% CI: 4.95-151.93 and 15.96; 95% CI: 3.01-84.68). The comorbidity most closely associated with severe outcomes was immune deficiency, which was associated with death for type B (aOR 9.02, 95% CI: 3.05-26.69) and subtype A(H1N1)pdm09 (aOR 3.16, 95% CI: 1.77-5.66). Older age was a differential factor for ICU admission and death: it was associated with lower ICU admission but a risk factor for death. The comorbidity with the closest association with death was immune deficiency, mainly in influenza type B patients.

Access and adherence to medications for the primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Singapore: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a growing public health threat globally, and many individuals remain undiagnosed, untreated, and their condition remains uncontrolled. The key to effective ASCVD management is adherence to pharmacotherapy, and non-adherence has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and complications such as stroke, further impacting a patient's ability to be adherent. Our qualitative study aimed to explore factors influencing medication adherence in the primary and secondary prevention of ASCVD in Singapore. We propose a synthesized framework, which expands on current understandings of the factors of medication adherence, as a frame of analysis in this study.

METHODS

We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 patients over the age of 40 with ASCVD and/or its risk factors in Singapore. QSR Nvivo 11 was used to conduct thematic analysis using an inductive approach.

RESULTS

Using a synthesized framework, we reported that complex medication regimens, the lack of support received during regimen changes, and the perceived seriousness of a condition could impact a patient's medication adherence. Key findings suggest that the relationship between health care professionals and patients impacted patient acceptability of the medication regimen and consequently medication adherence. Different patient beliefs regarding diagnosis, medication, and adherence had some bearing on the ability to perceive the need to adhere to their medication. Patients also reported that they could afford medication, sometimes with the help of family members. Patients also largely reported not needing help managing their medication, considering it an individual responsibility.

CONCLUSION

We identified key factors which future interventions looking to improve medication adherence ought to consider. These include changing patient perceptions of health systems, diagnosis, medication, and adherence; patient-centeredness in developing interventions that facilitate adherence through building self-efficacy and stronger support networks via patient empowerment and engagement; decreasing patient co-payments on medication; and cultivating a trusting patient-provider relationship.