Prognostic value of haemoglobin drop in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Hospital-Acquired Anemia in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Epidemiology and Potential Impact on Long-Term Outcome

BACKGROUND

Anemia (either pre-existing or hospital-acquired) is considered an independent predictor of mortality in acute coronary syndromes. However, it is still not clear whether anemia should be considered as a marker of worse health status or a therapeutic target. We sought to investigate the relationship between hospital-acquired anemia and clinical and laboratory findings and to assess the association with mortality and major cardiovascular events at long-term follow-up.

METHODS

Patients consecutively admitted at Niguarda Hospital between February 2014 and November 2020 for an acute coronary syndrome were included in this cohort analysis and classified as anemic at admission (group A), with normal hemoglobin at admission but developing anemia during hospitalization (hospital-acquired anemia) (group B); and with normal hemoglobin levels throughout admission (group C).

RESULTS

Among 1294 patients included, group A included 353 (27%) patients, group B 468 (36%), and group C 473 patients (37%). In terms of cardiovascular burden and incidence of death, major cardiovascular events and bleeding at 4.9-year median follow-up, group B had an intermediate risk profile as compared with A and C. Baseline anemia was an independent predictor of death (hazard ratio 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.25; P = .04) along with frailty, Charlson comorbidity Index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, previous myocardial infarction, and left ventricular ejection fraction. Conversely, hospital-acquired anemia was not associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio 1.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-1.75; P = .4).

CONCLUSIONS

Hospital-acquired anemia affects one-third of patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome and is associated with age, frailty, and comorbidity burden, but was not found to be an independent predictor of long-term mortality.

Prognostic impact of in-hospital hemoglobin decline in non-overt bleeding ICU patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

The prognostic value of in-hospital hemoglobin drop in non-overt bleeding patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) remains insufficiently investigated.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed based on the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database. 2,334 ICU-admitted non-overt bleeders diagnosed with AMI were included. In-hospital hemoglobin values (baseline value on admission and nadir value during hospitalization) were available. Hemoglobin drop was defined as a positive difference between admission and in-hospital nadir hemoglobin. The primary endpoint was 180-day all-cause mortality. The time-dependent Cox proportional hazard models were structured to analyze the connection between hemoglobin drop and mortality.

RESULTS

2,063 patients (88.39%) experienced hemoglobin drop during hospitalization. We categorized patients based on the degree of hemoglobin drop: no hemoglobin drop (n = 271), minimal hemoglobin drop (< 3 g/dl; n = 1661), minor hemoglobin drop (≥ 3 g/dl & < 5 g/dl, n = 284) and major hemoglobin drop (≥ 5 g/dl; n = 118). Minor (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 12.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.13-31.33; P < 0.001) and major (adjusted HR = 13.87; 95% CI: 4.50-42.76; P < 0.001) hemoglobin drops were independently associated with increased 180-day mortality. After adjusting the baseline hemoglobin level, a robust nonlinear relationship was observed in the association between hemoglobin drop and 180-day mortality, with 1.34 g/dl as the lowest value (HR = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.00-1.08).

CONCLUSION

In non-overt bleeding ICU-admitted patients with AMI, in-hospital hemoglobin drop is independently associated with higher 180-day all-cause mortality.

Association of In-Hospital Hemoglobin Drop With Decreased Myocardial Salvage and Increased Long-Term Mortality in Patients With Acute ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background

Anemia and blood loss occur often in patients with ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In‐hospital hemoglobin drop is associated with 1‐year mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, data on the effect of hemoglobin reduction on myocardial salvage and long‐term outcomes are scarce. We investigated the impact of in‐hospital hemoglobin drop on myocardial salvage and 5‐year mortality in patients with STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods and Results

In‐hospital hemoglobin drop was defined as a decrease in hemoglobin levels from admission and nadir hemoglobin values. Patients were categorized as having the following: no drop, minimal drop (<3 g/dL), minor drop (≥3 to <5 g/dL), and major drop (≥5 g/dL). Myocardial area at risk and infarct size were measured using serial single‐photon emission computerized tomography imaging. The co‐primary outcomes were myocardial salvage and 5‐year all‐cause mortality. Of 1204 patients, 1169 (97.1%) showed a hemoglobin drop during hospitalization: minimal, minor, and major drop occurred in 894 (74.3%), 214 (17.8%), and 61 (5.1%) patients, respectively. Myocardial salvage was reduced in patients with minimal (median, 0.53 [interquartile range, 0.27–0.83]), minor (median, 0.40 [interquartile range, 0.18–0.62]), and major (median, 0.40 [interquartile range, 0.14–0.77]) drop compared with patients without drop (median, 0.70 [interquartile range, 0.44–1.0], P<0.001). After adjusting for covariates, hemoglobin drop remained an independent correlate of poor myocardial salvage. A drop of ≥3 g/dL was associated with reduced left ventricular function at 6 months and with increased mortality at 5‐year follow‐up after STEMI.

Conclusions

In patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, in‐hospital hemoglobin drop was associated with reduced myocardial salvage, left ventricular function, and increased long‐term mortality.