Objective: To investigate the relationship between the guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) in 2004 and the changes in early reperfusion, drug treatment and outcome of inpatients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in China, and to explore what extent the guidelines are followed in the management of AMI in China, and the differences in managements and patients' outcome after its issue.
Methods: A retrospective study of clinical data of 1 278 patients with AMI admitted to 12 Chinese Hospitals from January 2002 to December 2006 was carried out. They were divided into two groups: group A included 734 patients admitted from January 2002 to August 2004, and group B comprised 544 patients admitted from August 2004 to December 2006. The baseline characteristics, early reperfusion, drug treatment, reinfarction, angina pectoris, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, bleeding and death were compared between two groups. The correlation between therapeutic measure and mortality was analyzed to estimate the difference between two groups, and relationship between the differences and the guidelines issued in 2004 was also analyzed.
Results: The age, sex, systolic blood pressure, history of past illness excepting old myocardial infarction of patients with AMI bore no significant difference between two groups. The incidence of Killip≥III in group B was lower significantly than that in group A (7.5% vs. 14.7%, P<0.01). Reperfusion therapy was used more often in group B than in group A (78.5% vs. 71.2%, P<0.05). And percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) therapy was used more often in group B than in group A (71.5% vs. 61.0%, P<0.01). However, the rate of lytic treatment was lower in group B than that in group A (8.6% vs. 16.3%, P<0.01). ³ The percentage of use of antiplatelet drug and aspirin was both over 97.0%. The tidopidine was used more frequently in group A than in group B (54.9% vs. 8.3%), and the clopidogrel and glycoprotein IIIa/IIb antagonists was used more frequently in group B than in group A (83.8% vs. 27.4%, 4.8% vs. 0.7%, both P<0.01). The angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor antagonist (ACEI/ARB) were administered more frequently in group B than in group A (98.2% vs. 93.5%, P<0.01), and the increasing trend of ARB was obvious (13.6% vs. 4.4%, P<0.05), but the decreasing trend of ACEI was obvious also (84.6% vs. 89.1%, P<0.01). Heparin/low molecular heparin, β-blocker and statin were used more often in group B than in group A (97.4% vs. 94.8%, 80.1% vs. 74.8%, 87.7% vs. 82.4%, P<0.05 or P<0.01). (4) In-hospital mortality, reinfarction, angina pectoris were lower in group B than in group A (4.6% vs. 7.6%, 2.8% vs. 4.8%, 8.4% vs. 12.4%, all P<0.05). (5) Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that reperfusion, antiplatelet drug, statin and heparin/low molecular heparin were associated significantly with in-hospital mortality (all P<0.05).
Conclusion: After guideline was issued by ACC/AHA in 2004, the regime of early reperfusion and drug treatment in China had followed more closely the recommendations of the guidelines. At the same time, in-hospital mortality, reinfarctions, angina pectoris were decreased. And the changes in strategy of early reperfusion, antiplatelet drug, statin and heparin/low molecular heparin are closely related with in-hospital mortality. However, current management of AMI in China has not followed the recommendations of guidelines closely. It is essential to promote the use of β-blocker and ACEI/ARB drug treatment in China in accordance with the guidelines.