Missing One of the Nine Types of Care Can be Fatal for Heart Attack Patients

A team of researchers has found that heart attack patients face an increased risk of death even if they miss one of the nine types of care.

One of the most common types of heart diseases is coronary artery disease that eventually leads to heart attack. Heart diseases are the leading cause of death for both men and women. The conditions that increase the risk for heart diseases include blood cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure. Heart attack occurs when blood supply to the heart is cut off.  Every 715,000 Americans have a heart attack.

In the latest finding, researchers at the University of Leeds highlight key factors that up the risk of mortality in heart attack patients. According to the study, the risk of mortality within a month increases by 46 percent if they miss nine pathways of care and the risk of death within a year increases by 74 percent if any one of the components of care is missed.

The nine pathways of care include pre-hospital electrocardiogram, acute use of aspirin, restoring the flow of blood to heart, prescription at hospital discharge of aspirin, the timely use of four kinds of drugs for heart attack i.e. ACE-inhibitor, beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers and statins, recommendation for cardiac rehabilitation after being discharged from the hospital.

Dr Chris Gale, of the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, who led the research, said: "The tragedy of all this is that these deaths are avoidable. There is a clear relationship between the ability to provide comprehensive and timely care, and treatment and improved chance of heart attack survival."

The study also highlights the need for the healthcare professionals, working in the heart disease field, to be completely aware of and trained in these nine types of treatment that would eventually boost the chances of saving a heart attack patient's life. If more components of care are missed, the chance of dying increases further.

The finding is based on the evaluation of the data retrieved from the registries of quality of care and outcomes for heart attacks in which half of the 31,000 heart attacks patients discharged from hospital in England and Wales between 2007 and 2010, missed the opportunity to receive the treatment.

The patients, who missed a course of treatment within the initial hours after the onset of the symptom, faced a higher risk of missing the other types of care.

Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "The study demonstrates the immense power of collecting 'real world' clinical data from doctors and their patients. The key message is that someone's recovery from a heart attack is not solely dependent on any single element of the care pathway. This research shows the importance of ensuring all elements of care for heart attack patients are optimally delivered. By focusing on these findings, all centres should be able to improve further the outcome for their patients suffering a heart attack."