Physicians' adherence to acute coronary syndrome prescribing guidelines in Vietnamese hospital practice: a cross-sectional study

Acute Coronary Syndrome: Treatment Strategies and Outcomes in Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Palestine

Background

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death worldwide despite advances in treatment and prevention measures. This study aimed to explore ACS treatment strategies (ischemia-guided vs early invasive) and risk factors among patients diagnosed with ACS in a tertiary care hospital in Palestine and to evaluate related outcomes regarding future events and standard clinical guidelines.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study reviewed patient data from a Palestinian medical hospital. The study included 255 patients ≥ 18 years who were hospitalized between January 2021 and December 2021 and diagnosed with ACS. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS).

Results

71% of the participants were males. The mean age was 59.59±11.56 years. Smoking, diabetes, and hypertension were the most common risk factors. Unstable angina (UA) was the most prevalent ACS type, accounting for 43.1% (110) of cases, whereas NSTEMI accounted for 39.2% (100) and STEMI accounted for 17.6% (45) of cases. An ischemic-guided strategy approach was used in 71% (181) of the patients. Upon discharge, the most prescribed medication classes were antiplatelets (97.6%), statins (87.1%), PPIs (72.5%), and antihypertensives (71.8%). Treatment strategies were selected according to the clinical guidelines for most ACS types.

Conclusion

ACS management in Palestine continues to evolve to overcome barriers, decrease patient mortality, and decrease hospital stay. UA and NSTEMI were the most common ACS diagnoses at admission, and the ischemic strategy was the most common modality. The findings of this study call for an increased awareness of CVD risk factors, resource availability, and adherence to clinical guidelines to improve patient outcomes and community health.

Adherencia a la ruta de atención en salud materno-perinatal en una institución hospitalaria, Valledupar, Colombia

Objetivo Evaluar la adherencia de médicos y enfermeros a la ruta integral de atención materno-perinatal (RMP) en el Hospital Eduardo Arredondo Daza (HEAD) de Valledupar, Colombia, 2021. Materiales y Métodos Investigación cuantitativa, descriptiva y transversal. Se aplicó una encuesta virtual a los profesionales de la salud que desarrollan la RMP. Adicionalmente, se usó una lista de chequeo a 505 historias clínicas (HC), evaluadas mediante los criterios de Cumple (C), No Cumple (NC) y No Aplica (NA) y confrontadas con un formato diseñado previamente por el HEAD. Resultados La encuesta fue respondida por los 12 profesionales de la salud a cargo de la RMP. Un 58,3% tienen dificultades en la implementación de la RMP, el 91,7% de ellos resalta la importancia de recibir capacitaciones y el 45,5% solicita que estas capacitaciones tengan una frecuencia de 2 veces al año; en la evaluación de las historias clínicas, la adherencia fue de 77%. Discusión La adherencia por parte de los profesionales a la RMP es deficiente. Se requiere fortalecer el entrenamiento y la capacitación para mejorar la ejecución de la ruta.

Adherence to Prescribing Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy at Hospital Discharge in Subjects With Acute Coronary Syndrome, and the Relationship With Mortality

Introduction

The use of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with a significant reduction in mortality; however, suboptimal prescribing of these therapies has been reported. This study aims to determine adherence to prescribing GDMT in subjects with ACS at hospital discharge and to measure the relationship between this adherence and one-year mortality.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on adults admitted with an ACS. The primary outcome was adherence to GDMT, defined as compliance with prescribing aspirin, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers, and high-intensity statins, according to international guideline recommendations. The secondary outcomes included identifying predictors for adherence to prescribing GDMT and one-year mortality. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were used.

Results

In 460 patients identified, the average age was 61.42 (±11.85) and the majority were male (76.09%). Adherence to prescribing GDMT was achieved in 70.87% of study subjects. The highest prescribing rates were associated with statins (95.22%) and the lowest with ACEIs/ARBs (81.09%). In the multivariable analysis, females and those diagnosed with unstable angina had fewer odds of receiving GDMT (odds ratio [OR]=0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.30-0.78), and (OR=0.42, CI=0.24-0.75), respectively, while a history of dyslipidemia was associated with higher odds of receiving GDMT. During the one-year follow-up, 23 subjects died in this study, and adherence to GDMT was associated with fewer deaths (OR=0.38, CI=0.16-0.93).

Conclusions

This study shows that there is a pressing need to develop effective strategies to improve compliance with prescribing lifesaving drugs for secondary prevention in subjects with ACS.

Non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome in patients aged 80 years or older in Vietnam: An observational study

Background

There is limited evidence of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) in patients aged 80 or older in Vietnam.

Aim

To describe the clinical characteristics of patients aged≥80 with NSTE-ACS in Vietnam, and to examine the effect of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on adverse outcomes.

Methods

Consecutive patients aged ≥80 with a diagnosis of NSTE-ACS admitted to two tertiary hospitals in Vietnam from 12/2018 to 06/2019 were recruited. The major outcomes were: (1) the composite of all-cause mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction and stroke, (2) re-admission rate during 3 months. Cox proportional-hazards regressions were conducted to examine the impact of PCI on the study outcomes, with results presented as hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

There were 120 participants, mean age 84.8 ± 3.8, 50% were female. Angiography and PCI were performed in 42 participants (35.0%). Most of the participants had multimorbidity and multiple coronary vessel disease. Compared to participants who did not receive PCI, participants who received PCI had significantly lower rates of adverse events during hospitalisation and during 3 months of follow up. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted to age and GRACE score show that PCI was significantly associated with reduced the composite outcome of all-cause mortality, recurrent myocardial infarction and stroke during 3 months follow-up (adjusted HR 0.32, 95%CI 0.12–0.86). PCI was also associated with reduced re-admission.

Conclusions

The rate of PCI was low in the very elderly patients with NSTE-ACS in this study, although PCI was significantly associated with reduced adverse outcomes.

A Narrative Review and Expert Panel Recommendations on Dyslipidaemia Management After Acute Coronary Syndrome in Countries Outside Western Europe and North America

Patients who have experienced an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are at very high risk of recurrent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Dyslipidaemia, a major risk factor for CVD, is poorly controlled post ACS in countries outside Western Europe and North America, despite the availability of effective lipid-modifying therapies (LMTs) and guidelines governing their use. Recent guideline updates recommend that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), the primary target for dyslipidaemia therapy, be reduced by ≥ 50% and to < 1.4 mmol/L (55 mg/dL) in patients at very high risk of CVD, including those with ACS. The high prevalence of CVD risk factors in some regions outside Western Europe and North America confers a higher risk of CVD on patients in these countries. ACS onset is often earlier in these patients, and they may be more challenging to treat. Other barriers to effective dyslipidaemia control include low awareness of the value of intensive lipid lowering in patients with ACS, physician non-adherence to guideline recommendations, and lack of efficacy of currently used LMTs. Lack of appropriate pathways to guide follow-up of patients with ACS post discharge and poor access to intensive medications are important factors limiting dyslipidaemia therapy in many countries. Opportunities exist to improve attainment of LDL-C targets by the use of country-specific treatment algorithms to promote adherence to guideline recommendations, medical education and greater prioritisation by healthcare systems of dyslipidaemia management in very high risk patients.

Association between Adherence to Guideline-Recommended Preventive Medications and In-Hospital Mortality among Non-Reperfused ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Academic Center in a Developing Country

Background and aims

Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a potentially fatal presentation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Evidence of the impact of acute pharmacological interventions in non-reperfused STEMI patients on subsequent events is limited. We aimed to assess the association between adherence to guideline-recommended preventive medications and in-hospital mortality among this high-risk patient population.

Methods

We conducted a cohort study using data obtained from the Jakarta Acute Coronary Syndrome (JAC) Registry database from a tertiary care academic hospital in Indonesia. We included 1132 of 2694 patients with STEMI recorded between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016 who did not undergo acute reperfusion therapy. Adherence to guideline-recommended preventive medications was defined as the combined administration of aspirin, clopidogrel, anticoagulants and statins after hospital admission. The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality.

Results

Overall, 778 of 1132 patients (69%) received the combination of preventive medications. The guideline non-adherent group had significantly more patients with earlier onset of STEMI, higher Killip class and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) score. After adjustments for measured characteristics using logistic regression modeling, exposure to the combination of preventive therapies was associated with a statistically significant lower risk for in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio: 0.46, 95% confidence interval: 0.30-0.70).

Conclusions

Adherence to guideline-recommended preventive medications was associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality in non-reperfused STEMI patients. The predictors of not receiving these medications need to be confirmed in future research.

Association between in-hospital guideline adherence and postdischarge major adverse outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndrome in Vietnam: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to determine the association between physician adherence to prescribing guideline-recommended medications during hospitalisation and 6-month major adverse outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndrome in Vietnam.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

The study was carried out in two public hospitals in Vietnam between January and October 2015. Patients were followed for 6 months after discharge.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients who survived during hospitalisation with a discharge diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and who were eligible for receiving at least one of the four guideline-recommended medications.

EXPOSURES

Guideline adherence was defined as prescribing all guideline-recommended medications at both hospital admission and discharge for eligible patients. Medications were antiplatelet agents, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers and statins.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Six-month major adverse outcomes were defined as all-cause mortality or hospital readmission due to cardiovascular causes occurring during 6 months after discharge. Cox regression models were used to estimate the association between guideline adherence and 6-month major adverse outcomes.

RESULTS

Overall, 512 patients were included. Of those, there were 242 patients (47.3%) in the guideline adherence group and 270 patients (52.3%) in the non-adherence group. The rate of 6-month major adverse outcomes was 30.5%. A 29% reduction in major adverse outcomes at 6 months after discharge was found for patients of the guideline adherence group compared with the non-adherence group (adjusted HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.98; p=0.039). Covariates significantly associated with the major adverse outcomes were percutaneous coronary intervention, prior heart failure and renal insufficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

In-hospital guideline adherence was associated with a significant decrease in major adverse outcomes up to 6 months after discharge. It supports the need for improving adherence to guidelines in hospital practice in low-income and middle-income countries like Vietnam.