New York Risk Model and Simplified Risk Score for In-Hospital/30-Day Mortality for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Risk models and risk scores derived from those models require periodic updating to account for changes in procedural performance, patient mix, and new risk factors added to existing systems. No risk model or risk score exists for predicting in-hospital/30-day mortality for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) using contemporary data. This study develops an updated risk model and simplified risk score for in-hospital/30-day mortality following PCI. To accomplish this, New York's Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Reporting System was used to develop a logistic regression model and a simplified risk score model for predicting in-hospital/30-day mortality and to validate both models based on New York data from the previous year. A total of 54,770 PCI patients from 2019 were used to develop the models. Twelve different risk factors and 27 risk factor categories were used in the models. Both models displayed excellent discrimination for the development and validation samples (range from 0.894 to 0.896) and acceptable calibration, but the full logistic model had superior calibration, particularly among higher-risk patients. In conclusion, both the PCI risk model and its simplified risk score model provide excellent discrimination and although the full risk model requires the use of a hand-held device for estimating individual patient risk, it provides somewhat better calibration, especially among higher-risk patients.

Ad Hoc Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Stable Patients With Multivessel or Unprotected Left Main Disease.

BACKGROUND: There is very little information about the use of ad hoc percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in stable patients with multivessel (MV) disease or unprotected left main (LM) disease patients for whom a heart team approach is recommended. OBJECTIVE: To identify the extent of ad hoc PCI utilization for patients with multivessel disease or left main disease, and to explore the inter-hospital variation in ad hoc PCI utilization for those patients. METHODS: New York State's cardiac registries were used to examine the use and variation in use of ad hoc PCI for MV/LM disease as a percentage of all MV/LM PCIs and revascularizations (PCIs plus coronary artery bypass graft procedures) during 2018 to 2019 in New York. RESULTS: After exclusions, 6,425 of the 8,196 stable PCI patients with MV/LM disease (78.4%) underwent ad hoc PCI, ranging from 58.7% for patients with unprotected LM disease to 85.4% for patients with 2-vessel proximal left anterior descending (PLAD) disease. Ad hoc PCIs comprised 35.1% of all revascularizations, ranging from 11.5% for patients with unprotected LM disease to 63.9% for patients with 2-vessel PLAD disease. The risk-adjusted utilization of ad hoc PCI as a percentage of all revascularizations varied widely among hospitals (eg, from 15% in the first quartile to 46% in the last quartile for 3-vessel disease). CONCLUSIONS: Ad hoc PCIs occur frequently even among patients with MV/LM disease. This is particularly true among patients with 2-vessel PLAD disease. The frequency of ad hoc PCIs is lower but still high among patients with diabetes and low ejection fraction and higher in hospitals without surgery on-site (SOS). Given the magnitude of hospital- and physician-level variation in the use of ad hoc PCIs for such patients, consideration should be given to a systems approach to achieving heart team consultation and shared decision making that is consistent for SOS and non-SOS hospitals.

Impact of COVID-19 on percutaneous coronary intervention utilization and mortality in New York.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has disrupted the care of all patients, and little is known about its impact on the utilization and short-term mortality of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients, particularly nonemergency patients. METHODS: New York State's PCI registry was used to study the utilization of PCI and the presence of COVID-19 in four patient subgroups ranging in severity from ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to elective patients before (December 01, 2018-February 29, 2020) and during the COVID-19 era (March 01, 2020-May 31, 2021), as well as to examine the impact of different COVID severity levels on the mortality of different types of PCI patients. RESULTS: Decreases in the mean quarterly PCI volume from the prepandemic period to the first quarter of the pandemic ranged from 20% for STEMI patients to 61% for elective patients, with the other two subgroups having decreases in between these values. PCI quarterly volume rebounds from the prepandemic period to the second quarter of 2021 were in excess of 90% for all patient subgroups, and 99.7% for elective patients. Existing COVID-19 was rare among PCI patients, ranging from 1.74% for STEMI patients to 3.66% for elective patients. PCI patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who were not intubated, and PCI patients with COVID-19 and ARDS who were either intubated or were not intubated because of Do Not Resuscitate//Do Not Intubate status had higher risk-adjusted mortality ([adjusted ORs = 10.81 [4.39, 26.63] and 24.53 [12.06, 49.88], respectively]) than patients who never had COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: There were large decreases in the utilization of PCI during COVID-19, with the percentage of decrease being highly sensitive to patient acuity. By the second quarter of 2021, prepandemic volumes were nearly restored for all patient subgroups. Very few PCI patients had current COVID-19 throughout the pandemic period, but the number of PCI patients with a COVID-19 history increased steadily during the pandemic. PCI patients with COVID-19 accompanied by ARDS were at much higher risk of short-term mortality than patients who never had COVID-19. COVID-19 without ARDS and history of COVID-19 were not associated with higher mortality for PCI patients as of the second quarter of 2021.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With and Without Intravascular Ultrasound for Patients With Complex Lesions: Utilization, Mortality, and Target Vessel Revascularization.

BACKGROUND: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has several benefits during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), including more accurate vessel sizing, improved stent expansion, and better strut apposition. Prior clinical trials have demonstrated a reduction in cardiac events when IVUS is used. However, there is limited information about the utilization of IVUS and the outcomes of IVUS-guided versus angiography-guided PCI in patients with complex lesions in a contemporary population-based setting. METHODS: New York's PCI registry was used to identify 44 305 patients with complex lesions (lesions that complicate stenting or that require multiple stents) undergoing PCI with and without IVUS guidance and discharged between December 1, 2013 and November 30, 2018. Trends and inter-hospital variation in IVUS use were examined. Risk-adjusted mortality and target vessel revascularization were compared. RESULTS: A total of 6174 (13.9%) PCI patients underwent IVUS-guided PCI. The median follow-up period was 2.5 years. The percent of patients with complex lesions who underwent IVUS-guided PCI rose from 13.4% in 2014 to 16.5% in 2018 (P<0.0001 for trend), with the main increases occurring in the last 2 years of the period. Only 31 of 66 hospitals in the study used IVUS for >5% of their study patients. IVUS-guided PCI patients experienced significantly lower mortality (adjusted hazard ratio=0.89 [0.79-0.98] after adjustment using a Cox proportional hazards model, and HR=0.88 [0.78-0.99] for propensity-matched patients). We also found that IVUS-guided PCI patients had a lower rate of target vessel revascularization (adjusted hazard ratio=0.88 [0.80-0.97]) after adjusting using Cox proportional hazards with competing risk of mortality and after propensity matching (0.88 [0.79-0.99]). CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of IVUS for complex lesions has increased but contemporary rates remain low, and there are large inter-hospital variations. The use of IVUS for complex lesions was associated with lower risk of medium-term mortality and target vessel revascularization.

Relation of Operator Volume and Access Site to Short-Term Mortality in Radial Versus Femoral Access for Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

The relation between operator volume and mortality of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) procedures for ST-elevation myocardial infarction has not been studied comprehensively. This study included patients who underwent PPCI between 2010 and 2017 in all nonfederal hospitals approved to perform PCI in New York State. We compared risk-adjusted in-hospital/30-day mortality for radial access (RA) and femoral access (FA) and the relation between risk-adjusted mortality and procedure volume for each access site. In 44,540 patients in the study period, the use of RA rose from 8% in 2,010% to 43% in 2017 (p <0.0001). There was no significant change in PPCI risk-adjusted mortality during the period (p=0.27 for trend). RA was associated with lower mortality when imposing operator exclusion criteria used in recent trials. There was a significant operator inverse volume-mortality relation for FA procedures but not for RA procedures. FA procedures performed by lower volume FA operators (lowest quartile) were associated with higher risk-adjusted mortality compared with RA procedures (3.71% vs 3.06%, p = 0.01) or compared with FA procedures performed by higher volume FA operators (3.71% vs 3.16%, p = 0.01). In conclusion, in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction referred for primary PCI in New York State, there was a significant uptake in the use of RA along with relatively constant in-hospital/30-day mortality. There was a significant inverse operator volume-mortality relation for FA procedures accompanied by higher mortality for FA procedures performed by low volume FA operators than for all other primary PCI procedures. In conclusion, this information underscores the need for operators to remain vigilant in maintaining FA skills and monitoring FA outcomes.

The Association of Socioeconomic Factors With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have identified the association of socioeconomic factors with outcomes of cardiac surgical procedures. Most have focused on easily measured demographic factors or on socioeconomic characteristics of patients' 5-digit zip codes. The impact of socioeconomic information that is derived from smaller geographic regions has rarely been studied. METHODS: The association of the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) with short-term mortality and readmissions was tested for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in New York while adjusting for numerous patient risk factors, including race, ethnicity, and payer. Changes in hospitals' risk-adjusted outcomes and outlier status with the addition of socioeconomic factors were examined. RESULTS: After adjustment, patients in the 2 most deprived ADI quintiles were more likely to experience in-hospital and 30-day mortality after PCI (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals] 1.39 [1.18-1.65] and 1.24 [1.03-1.49], respectively), than patients in the first quintile (least deprived). Also, patients in the second and fifth ADI quintiles had higher 30-day readmissions rates than patients in the first quintile (1.12 [1.01-1.25] and 1.17 [1.04-1.32], respectively). Medicare patients had higher mortality and readmission rates, Hispanics had lower mortality, and Medicaid patients had higher readmission rates. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the most deprived ADIs are more likely to experience short-term mortality and readmissions after PCI. Ethnicity and payer are significantly associated with adverse outcomes even after adjusting for ADI. This information should be considered when identifying patients who are at the highest risk for adverse events after PCI and when risk-adjusting hospital outcomes and assessing quality of care.

Hybrid coronary revascularization vs. percutaneous coronary interventions for multivessel coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: Hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) combines a minimally invasive surgical approach to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-LAD diseased coronary arteries. It is associated with shorter hospital lengths of stay and recovery times than conventional coronary artery bypass surgery, but there is little information comparing it to isolated PCI for multivessel disease. Our objective is to compare long-term outcomes of HCR and PCI for patients with multivessel disease. METHODS: This cohort study used data from New York's cardiac surgery and PCI registries in 2010-2016 to examine mortality and repeat revascularization rates for patients with multivessel coronary artery disease who underwent HCR and PCI. Cox proportional hazards methods were used to reduce selection bias. Patients were followed for a median of four years. RESULTS: There was a total of 335 HCR patients (1.2%) and 25,557 PCI patients (98.8%) after exclusions. There was no difference in 6-year risk adjusted survival between HCR and PCI patients (83.17% vs. 81.65%, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.90 (95% CI: 0.67-1.20). However, HCR patients were more likely to be free from repeat revascularization in the LAD artery (91.13% vs. 83.59%, aHR = 0.51 (95% CI: 0.34-0.77)). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease, HCR is rarely performed. There are no differences in mortality rates after four years, but HCR is associated with lower repeat revascularization rates in the LAD artery, presumably due to better longevity in left arterial mammary grafts.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Before and During COVID in New York.

Little is known about regional differences in volume, treatment, and outcomes of STEMI patients undergoing PCI during the pandemic. The objectives of this study were to compare COVID-19 pandemic and prepandemic periods with respect to regional volumes, outcomes, and treatment of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) between January 1, 2019 and March 14, 2020 (pre-COVID period) and between March 15, 2020 and April 4, 2020 (COVID period) in 51 New York State hospitals certified to perform PCI. The hospitals were classified as being in either high-density or low-density COVID-19 counties on the basis of deaths/10,000 population. There was a decrease of 43% in procedures/week in high-density COVID-19 counties (p <0.0001) and only 4% in low-density counties (p = 0.64). There was no difference in the change in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality rates in either type of county, but STEMI PCI patients in high-density counties had longer times from symptom onset to hospital arrival and lower cardiac arrest rates in the pandemic period. In conclusion, the decrease in STEMI PCIs during the pandemic was mainly limited to counties with a high density of COVID-19 deaths. The decrease appears to be primarily related to patients not presenting to hospitals in high-density COVID regions, rather than PCI being avoided in STEMI patients or a reduction in the incidence of STEMI. Also, high-density COVID-19 counties experienced delayed admissions and less severely ill STEMI PCI patients during the pandemic. This information can serve to focus efforts on convincing STEMI patients to seek life-saving hospital care during the pandemic.

Sex differences in the treatment and outcomes of patients hospitalized with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: To compare mortality for women and men hospitalized with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by age and revascularization status. BACKGROUND: There is little information on the mortality of men and women not undergoing revascularization, and the impact of age on relative male-female mortality needs to be revisited. METHODS AND RESULTS: An observational database of 23,809 patients with STEMI presenting at nonfederal New York State hospitals between 2013 and 2015 was used to compare risk-adjusted inhospital/30-day mortality for women and men and to explore the impact of age on those differences. Women had significantly higher mortality than men overall (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.15, 95% CI [1.04, 1.28]), and among patients aged 65 and older. Women had lower revascularization rates in general (AOR = 0.64 [0.59, 0.69]) and for all age groups. Among revascularized STEMI patients, women overall (AOR = 1.30 [1.10, 1.53]) and over 65 had higher mortality than men. Among patients not revascularized, women between the ages of 45 and 64 had lower mortality (AOR = 0.68 [0.48, 0.97]). CONCLUSIONS: Women with STEMI, and especially older women, had higher inhospital/30-day mortality rates than their male counterparts. Women had higher mortality among revascularized patients, but not among patients who were not revascularized.

Assessment of repeat target lesion percutaneous coronary intervention as a quality measure for public reporting and general quality assessment for PCIs.

BACKGROUND: Target lesion percutaneous coronary intervention (TLPCI) within 1 year of PCI has been proposed by critics of public reporting of short-term mortality as an alternative measure for PCI reporting. METHODS: New York's PCI registry was used to identify 1-year repeat TLPCI and 1-year repeat TLPCI/mortality for patients discharged between December 1, 2013 and November 30, 2014. Significant independent predictors of the outcomes were identified. Hospital and cardiologist risk-adjusted outcomes were calculated, and outlier status and correlations of risk-adjusted rates were examined for the three outcomes. RESULTS: The adverse outcome rates were 1.30, 4.21, and 8.97% for in-hospital/30-day mortality, 1-year repeat TLPCI, and 1-year repeat TLPCI/mortality. There were many commonalities but also many differences in significant predictors of the outcomes. Hospital and cardiologist risk-adjusted 1-year repeat TLPCI rates and repeat TLPCI/mortality rates were poorly correlated with risk-adjusted in-hospital/30-day mortality rates (eg, Spearman R = -.16 [p = .23] and .27 [p = .04], respectively, for hospital 1-year repeat TLPCI vs. in-hospital/30-day mortality). Many more providers were found to have significantly higher and lower rates for repeat TLPCI than for short-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital and cardiologist quality assessments are very different for TLPCI and repeat TLPCI/mortality than they are for short-term mortality. Repeat TLPCI/mortality rates are highly correlated with repeat TLPCI rates, but outlier providers differ. More study of repeat TLPCI and all the patient, cardiologist, and hospital factors associated with it may be required before using it as a supplement to, or in lieu of, short-term mortality in public reporting of PCI outcomes.

Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Myocardial Infarction in Hospitals With and Without On-Site Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have revealed no outcome differences among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in hospitals with and without surgery on-site (SOS), but one earlier study found differences in target vessel PCI rates and in mortality for patients with acute myocardial infarction who did not undergo PCI. It is important to examine outcome differences between SOS and non-SOS hospitals with more contemporary data. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 21 924 propensity-matched patients who were discharged between January 1, 2013, and November 30, 2015, who were in the New York PCI registry and other hospital databases were used to compare outcomes in hospitals with and without SOS for all patients and for patients with and without ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI. Also, 30-day mortality was compared for patients with STEMI regardless of whether they underwent PCI. For all patients with PCI and patients without STEMI, there were no significant differences in in-hospital/30-day mortality, 2-year mortality, or 2-year repeat target lesion PCI. For patients with STEMI, there were no significant mortality differences between patients in SOS and non-SOS hospitals. Patients with STEMI in SOS hospitals had significantly lower 2-year repeat target lesion PCI rates (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.68 [0.49-0.94]). There was no difference in the percentage of patients undergoing PCI in the 2 types of hospitals (75.7% versus 74.6%; P=0.21) or in 30-day mortality of all patients with STEMI (patients who did and did not undergo PCI, 10.86% versus 11.32%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.06 [0.88-1.29]). CONCLUSIONS: Short-term and long-term outcomes were not different in SOS and non-SOS hospitals except that 2-year repeat target lesion PCI rates were lower in SOS hospitals for patients with STEMI.

Delays in Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients Presenting With Cardiogenic Shock.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine whether quality improvement initiatives across multiple ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) systems translated to faster first medical contact (FMC)-to-device times for patients presenting with cardiogenic shock (CS). BACKGROUND: There are limited data describing contemporary rates of achieving guideline-directed FMC-to-device times for STEMI patients with CS. METHODS: From 2012 to 2014, the American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline STEMI Systems Accelerator project established a protocol-guided approach to STEMI reperfusion systems in 484 U.S. hospitals. The study was stratified by CS versus no CS at presentation and performed Cochrane-Armitage tests to evaluate trends of achieving FMC-to-device time targets. A multivariable logistic regression model assessed the association between achieving guideline-directed FMC-to-device times and mortality. RESULTS: Among 23,785 STEMI patients, 1,993 (8.4%) experienced CS at presentation. For direct presenters, patients with CS were less likely to achieve the 90-min FMC-to-device time compared with no-CS patients (37% vs. 54%; p < 0.001). For transferred patients, CS patients were even less likely to reach the 120-min FMC-to-device time compared with no-CS patients (34% vs. 47%; p < 0.0001). The Accelerator intervention did not result in improvements in the FMC-to-device times for direct-presenting CS patients (p for trend = 0.53), although there was an improvement for transferred patients (p for trend = 0.04). Direct-presenting patients arriving within 90 min had lower mortality rates compared with patients who reached after 90 min (20.49% vs. 39.12%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than 40% of STEMI patients presenting with CS achieved guideline-directed FMC-to-device targets; delays in reperfusion for direct-presenting patients were associated with higher mortality.

Plasma Ceramides.

Objective- Ceramides are sphingolipids involved with cellular signaling. Synthesis of ceramides occurs in all tissues. Ceramides accumulate within tissues and the blood plasma during metabolic dysfunction, dyslipidemia, and inflammation. Elevations of ceramides are predictive of cardiovascular mortality. We sought to verify the utility of plasma concentrations of 4 ceramides: N-palmitoyl-sphingosine [Cer(16:0)], N-stearoyl-sphingosine [Cer(18:0)], N-nervonoyl-sphingosine [Cer(24:1)], and N-lignoceroyl-sphingosine [Cer(24:0)] in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events in a diverse patient population referred for coronary angiography. Approach and Results- Plasma ceramides were measured in 495 participants before nonurgent coronary angiography. Coronary artery disease, defined as >50% stenosis in ≥1 coronary artery, was identified 265 (54%) cases. Ceramides were not significantly associated with coronary artery disease. Patients were followed for a combined primary end point of myocardial infarction, percutaneous intervention, coronary artery bypass, stroke, or death within 4 years. Ceramides were significantly predictive of outcomes after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, smoking, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, triglycerides, serum glucose, and family history of coronary artery disease. The fully adjusted per SD hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.50 (1.16-1.93) for Cer(16:0), 1.42 (1.11-1.83) for Cer(18:0), 1.43 (1.08-1.89) for Cer(24:1), and 1.58 (1.22-2.04) for the ceramide risk score. Conclusions- Elevated plasma concentrations of ceramides are independently associated with major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with and without coronary artery disease.

2017 Versus 2012 Appropriate Use Criteria for Percutaneous Coronary Interventions: Impact on Appropriateness Ratings.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to revisit cases rated as "inappropriate" in the 2012 appropriate use criteria (AUC) using the 2017 AUC. BACKGROUND: AUC for coronary revascularization in patients with stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) were released in January 2017. Earlier 2012 AUC identified a relatively high percentage of New York State patients for whom percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was rated as "inappropriate" versus optimal medical therapy alone. METHODS: New York State's PCI registry was used to rate inappropriateness of patients undergoing PCI in 2014 using the 2012 and 2017 AUC, and to examine patient characteristics for patients rated differently. RESULTS: A total of 911 of 9,261 (9.8%) patients who underwent PCI in New York State in 2014 with SIHD without prior coronary artery bypass grafting were rated as "inappropriate" using the 2012 AUC, but only 171 (1.8%) patients were rated as "rarely appropriate" ("inappropriate" in 2012 AUC terminology) using the 2017 AUC. A total of 26% of all 8,407 patients undergoing PCI in New York State with 1- to 2-vessel SIHD were without high-risk findings on noninvasive testing and were either asymptomatic or without antianginal therapy. No current or past randomized controlled trials have focused on these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of 2014 New York State PCI patients with SIHD who are rated "rarely appropriate" has decreased substantially using 2017 AUC in comparison with the older 2012 AUC. However, for many low-risk patients undergoing the procedure, the relative benefits of optimal medical therapy with and without PCI are unknown. Randomized controlled trials are needed to study these groups.

Is 30-Day Mortality after Admission for Heart Failure an Appropriate Metric for Quality?

BACKGROUND: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) model for publicly reporting national 30-day-risk-adjusted mortality rates for patients admitted with heart failure fails to include clinical variables known to impact total mortality or take into consideration the culture of end-of-life care. We sought to determine if those variables were related to the 30-day mortality of heart failure patients at Geisinger Medical Center. METHODS: Electronic records were searched for patients with a diagnosis of heart failure who died from any cause during hospitalization or within 30 days of admission. RESULTS: There were 646 heart-failure-related admissions among 530 patients (1.2 admissions/patient). Sixty-seven of the 530 (13%) patients died: 35 (52%) died during their hospitalization and 32 (48%) died after discharge but within 30 days of admission; of these, 27 (40%) had been transferred in for higher-acuity care. Fifty-one (76%) died from heart failure, and 16 (24%) from other causes. Fifty-five (82%) patients were classified as American Heart Association Stage D, 58 (87%) as New York Heart Association Class IV, and 30 (45%) had right-ventricular systolic dysfunction. None of the 32 patients who died after discharge met recommendations for beta-blockers. Criteria for prescribing angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor blockers were not met by 33 of the 34 patients (97%) with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction not on one of those drugs. Fifty-seven patients (85%) had a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) status. CONCLUSION: A majority of heart failure-related mortality was among patients who opted for a DNR status with end-stage heart failure, limiting the appropriateness of administering evidence-based therapies. No care gaps were identified that contributed to mortality at our institution. The CMS 30-day model fails to take important variables into consideration.

Association of Coronary Vessel Characteristics With Outcome in Patients With Percutaneous Coronary Interventions With Incomplete Revascularization.

Importance: Many studies have compared outcomes for incomplete revascularization (IR) among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), but little is known about whether outcomes are related to the nature of the IR. Objective: To determine whether some coronary vessel characteristics are associated with worse outcomes in patients with PCI with IR. Design, Setting, and Participants: New York's PCI registry was used to examine mortality (median follow-up, 3.4 years) as a function of the number of vessels that were incompletely revascularized, the stenosis in those vessels, and whether the proximal left anterior descending artery was incompletely revascularized after controlling for other factors associated with mortality for patients with and without ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This was a multicenter study (all nonfederal PCI hospitals in New York State) that included 41 639 New York residents with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing PCI in New York State between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012. Exposures: Percutaneous coronary interventions, with complete and incomplete revascularization. Main Outcomes and Measures: Medium-term mortality. Results: For patients with STEMI, the mean age was 62.8 years; 26.2% were women, 11.9% were Hispanic, and 81.5% were white. For other patients, the mean age was 66.6 years, 29.1% were women, 11.3% were Hispanic, and 79.1% were white. Incomplete revascularization was very common (78% among patients with STEMI and 71% among other patients). Patients with IR in a vessel with at least 90% stenosis were at higher risk than other patients with IR. This was not significant among patients with STEMI (17.18% vs 12.86%; adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.16; 95% CI, 0.99-1.37) and significant among patients without STEMI (17.71% vs 12.96%; AHR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.24). Similarly, patients with IR in 2 or more vessels had higher mortality than patients with completely revascularization and higher mortality than other patients with IR among patients with STEMI (20.37% vs 14.39%; AHR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.15-1.59) and among patients without STEMI (20.10% vs 12.86%; AHR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09-1.59). Patients with proximal left anterior descending artery vessel IR had higher mortality than other patients with IR (20.09% vs 14.67%; AHR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.64 for patients with STEMI and 20.78% vs 15.62%; AHR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.01-1.23 for patients without STEMI). More than 20% of all PCI patients had IR of 2 or more vessels and more than 30% had IR with more than 90% stenosis. Conclusions and Relevance: Patients with IR are at higher risk of mortality if they have IR with at least 90% stenosis, IR in 2 or more vessels, or proximal left anterior descending IR.

Impact of Regionalization of ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction Care on Treatment Times and Outcomes for Emergency Medical Services-Transported Patients Presenting to Hospitals With Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Mission: Lifeline Accelerator-2.

BACKGROUND: Regional variations in reperfusion times and mortality in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction are influenced by differences in coordinating care between emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals. Building on the Accelerator-1 Project, we hypothesized that time to reperfusion could be further reduced with enhanced regional efforts. METHODS: Between April 2015 and March 2017, we worked with 12 metropolitan regions across the United States with 132 percutaneous coronary intervention-capable hospitals and 946 EMS agencies. Data were collected in the ACTION (Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network)-Get With The Guidelines Registry for quarterly Mission: Lifeline reports. The primary end point was the change in the proportion of EMS-transported patients with first medical contact to device time ≤90 minutes from baseline to final quarter. We also compared treatment times and mortality with patients treated in hospitals not participating in the project during the corresponding time period. RESULTS: During the study period, 10 730 patients were transported to percutaneous coronary intervention-capable hospitals, including 974 in the baseline quarter and 972 in the final quarter who met inclusion criteria. Median age was 61 years; 27% were women, 6% had cardiac arrest, and 6% had shock on admission; 10% were black, 12% were Latino, and 10% were uninsured. By the end of the intervention, all process measures reflecting coordination between EMS and hospitals had improved, including the proportion of patients with a first medical contact to device time of ≤90 minutes (67%-74%; P<0.002), a first medical contact to device time to catheterization laboratory activation of ≤20 minutes (38%-56%; P<0.0001), and emergency department dwell time of ≤20 minutes (33%-43%; P<0.0001). Of the 12 regions, 9 regions reduced first medical contact to device time, and 8 met or exceeded the national goal of 75% of patients treated in ≤90 minutes. Improvements in treatment times corresponded with a significant reduction in mortality (in-hospital death, 4.4%-2.3%; P=0.001) that was not apparent in hospitals not participating in the project during the same time period. CONCLUSIONS: Organization of care among EMS and hospitals in 12 regions was associated with significant reductions in time to reperfusion in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction as well as in in-hospital mortality. These findings support a more intensive regional approach to emergency care for patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.

Impact of Regional Systems of Care on Disparities in Care Among Female and Black Patients Presenting With ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: The American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline STEMI (ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction) Systems Accelerator program, conducted in 16 regions across the United States to improve key care processes, resulted in more patients being treated within national guideline goals (time from first medical contact to device: <90 minutes for direct presenters to hospitals capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention; <120 minutes for transfers). We examined whether the effort reduced reperfusion disparities in the proportions of female versus male and black versus white patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 23 809 patients (29.3% female, 82.3% white, and 10.7% black) presented with acute STEMI between July 2012 and March 2014. Change in the proportion of patients treated within guideline goals was compared between sex and race subgroups for patients presenting directly to hospitals capable of performing percutaneous coronary intervention (n=18 267) and patients requiring transfer (n=5542). The intervention was associated with an increase in the proportion of men treated within guideline goals that presented directly (58.7-62.1%, P=0.01) or were transferred (43.3-50.7%, P<0.01). An increase was also seen among white patients who presented directly (57.7-59.9%, P=0.02) or were transferred (43.9-48.8%, P<0.01). There was no change in the proportion of female or black patients treated within guideline goals, including both those presenting directly and transferred. CONCLUSION: The STEMI Systems Accelerator project was associated with an increase in the proportion of patients meeting guideline reperfusion targets for male and white patients but not for female or black patients. Efforts to organize systems of STEMI care should implement additional processes targeting barriers to timely reperfusion among female and black patients.

Clinical Prediction Model for Time in Therapeutic Range While on Warfarin in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Though warfarin has historically been the primary oral anticoagulant for stroke prevention in newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), several new direct oral anticoagulants may be preferred when anticoagulation control with warfarin is expected to be poor. This study developed a prediction model for time in therapeutic range (TTR) among newly diagnosed AF patients on newly initiated warfarin as a tool to assist decision making between warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants. METHODS AND RESULTS: This electronic medical record-based, retrospective study included newly diagnosed, nonvalvular AF patients with no recent warfarin exposure receiving primary care services through a large healthcare system in rural Pennsylvania. TTR was estimated as the percentage of time international normalized ratio measurements were between 2.0 and 3.0 during the first year following warfarin initiation. Candidate predictors of TTR were chosen from data elements collected during usual clinical care. A TTR prediction model was developed and temporally validated and its predictive performance was compared with the SAMe-TT2R2 score (sex, age, medical history, treatment, tobacco, race) using R2 and c-statistics. A total of 7877 newly diagnosed AF patients met study inclusion criteria. Median (interquartile range) TTR within the first year of starting warfarin was 51% (32, 67). Of 85 candidate predictors evaluated, 15 were included in the final validated model with an R2 of 15.4%. The proposed model showed better predictive performance than the SAMe-TT2R2 score (R2=3.0%). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed prediction model may assist decision making on the proper mode of oral anticoagulant among newly diagnosed AF patients. However, predicting TTR on warfarin remains challenging.

Temporal Trends in the Incidence, Prevalence, and Survival of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation From 2004 to 2016.

A growing epidemic of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been predicted, although no data on the AF burden has been reported for the United States since 2010. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe trends in AF incidence, prevalence, and postdiagnosis survival from 2004 to 2016 within a large health-care system and (2) extrapolate observed prevalence rates to the entire US population to estimate the national AF burden. This retrospective cohort study incorporates the patients and electronic medical record of the Geisinger Health System, an integrated health-care delivery system serving central and northeast Pennsylvania. Standardized incidence rates were calculated per 1,000 person-years by calendar year, and point prevalence rates estimated on July 1st of the respective years from 2004 to 2016. Rate ratios were estimated from Poisson regression as the annual relative change over time. A total of 464,363 patients met study inclusion criteria. Age- and sex-adjusted AF incidence rates increased over the study period: 4.7, 5.0, 5.8, and 6.2 in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016, respectively (rate ratio 1.03 per year, 95% confidence interval 1.02, 1.03). Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence rates increased consistently over time from 2.7%, 3.0%, 3.4%, to 4.1% in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016, respectively. In 2004, an estimated 6.1 million Americans had diagnosed AF, increasing to 6.7, 7.8, and 9.3 million in 2008, 2012, and 2016, respectively. Postdiagnosis survival has not improved in recent years. In conclusion, AF incidence and prevalence have increased steadily since 2004, whereas postdiagnosis survival has not improved.