To be seen as a unique person after suffering a second myocardial infarction: Expressed needs of patients and descriptions of personnel.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe patients' expressed needs during cardiac rehabilitation after suffering a second myocardial infarction in comparison to personnel's descriptions of how they work with these patients. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: A descriptive qualitative design. Interviews were conducted with patients affected by two myocardial infarctions and registered nurses, physiotherapists and cardiologists working with cardiac rehabilitation. Data were analysed with qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS: An interpretation of the underlying meaning in the categories was formulated into one theme: 'To be seen as a unique person'. Patients expressed a need for individualised care; they wanted the cardiac rehabilitation to be customised to their condition and prognosis; however, they did not perceive their care was individualised. Personnel described the importance of the care being individualised, although they had guidelines to follow. It was crucial for them to see the individual and discover what was important for each patient. CONCLUSIONS: There was a shared opinion from patients and personnel that individual care is essential. Using the concept and working in accordance with person-centred care could meet the patients' need for individualised care.

The second myocardial infarction: Is there any difference in symptoms and prehospital delay compared to the first myocardial infarction?

BACKGROUND: Knowledge is limited concerning the type of symptoms and the time from onset of symptoms to first medical contact at first and second myocardial infarction in the same patient. AIM: This study aimed to describe the type of symptoms and the time from onset of symptoms to first medical contact in first and second myocardial infarctions in men and women affected by two myocardial infarctions. Furthermore, the aim was to identify factors associated with prehospital delays ≥2 h at second myocardial infarction. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study with 820 patients aged 31-74 years with a first and a second myocardial infarction from 1986 through 2009 registered in the Northern Sweden MONICA registry. RESULTS: The most common symptoms reported among patients affected by two myocardial infarctions are typical symptoms at both myocardial infarction events. Significantly more women reported atypical symptoms at the second myocardial infarction compared to the first. Ten per cent of the men did not report the same type of symptoms at the first and second myocardial infarctions; the corresponding figure for women was 16.2%. The time from onset of symptoms to first medical contact was shorter at the second myocardial infarction compared to the first myocardial infarction. Patients with prehospital delay ≥2 h at the first myocardial infarction were more likely to have a prehospital delay ≥2 h at the second myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of second myocardial infarctions are not necessarily the same as those of first myocardial infarctions. A patient's behaviour at the first myocardial infarction could predict how he or she would behave at a second myocardial infarction.

A second chance at life: people's lived experiences of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: There is more to illuminate about people's experiences of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and how such an event affects people's lives over time. AIMS: This study aimed to elucidate meanings of people's lived experiences and changes in everyday life during their first year after surviving OHCA. METHODS: A qualitative, longitudinal design was used. Eleven people surviving OHCA from northern Sweden agreed to participate and were interviewed 6 and 12 months after the event. A phenomenological hermeneutic interpretation was used to analyse the transcribed texts. FINDINGS: The structural analysis resulted in two themes: (i) striving to regain one's usual self and (ii) a second chance at life, and subthemes (ia) testing the body, (ib) pursuing the ordinary life, (ic) gratitude for help to survival, (iia) regaining a sense of security with one's body, (iib) getting to know a new self, and (iic) seeking meaning and establishing a future. CONCLUSION: To conclude, we suggest that people experienced meanings of surviving OHCA over time as striving to regain their usual self and getting a second chance at life. The event affected them in many ways and resulted in a lot of emotions and many things to think about. Participants experienced back-and-forth emotions, when comparing their present lives to both their lives before cardiac arrest and those lives they planned for the future. During their first year, participants' daily lives were still influenced by 'being dead' and returning to life. As time passed, they wanted to resume their ordinary lives and hoped for continued lives filled with meaning and joyous activities.

The second myocardial infarction: Higher risk factor burden and earlier second myocardial infarction in women compared with men. The Northern Sweden MONICA study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have examined various parameters and experiences when patients suffer their first myocardial infarction (MI), but knowledge about when they suffer their second MI is limited. AIM: To compare risk factors for MI, that is, diabetes, hypertension and smoking, for the first and second MI events in men and women affected by two MIs and to analyse the time intervals between the first and second MIs. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 1017 patients aged 25-74 years with first and second MIs from 1990 through 2009 registered in the Northern Sweden MONICA registry. RESULTS: More women than men have diabetes and hypertension and are smokers at the first MI. Similar differences between the genders remain at the time of the second MI for diabetes and hypertension, although both risk factors have increased. Smoking decreased at the second MI without any remaining difference between genders. Women suffer their second MI within a shorter time interval than men do. Within 16 months of their first MI, 50% of women had a second MI. The corresponding time interval for men was 33 months. CONCLUSION: Patients affected by an MI should be made aware of their risk of recurrent MI and that the risk of recurrence is highest during the first few years after an MI. In patients affected by two MIs, women have a higher risk factor burden and suffer their second MI earlier than men do and thus may need more aggressive and more prompt secondary prevention.

Diabetes mellitus, high BMI and low education level predict sudden cardiac death within 24 hours of incident myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: More than half of cardiovascular mortality occurs outside the hospital, mainly due to consistently low survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: This is a prospective, nested, case-control study derived from the Västerbotten Intervention Programme and the World Health Organization's Multinational Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease study in northern Sweden (1986-2006). To determine predictors for sudden cardiac death risk factors for cardiovascular disease were compared between incident myocardial infarction with sudden cardiac death (n = 363) and survivors of incident myocardial infarction (n = 1998) using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Diabetes had the strongest association with sudden cardiac death out of all evaluated risk factors (odds ratio (OR) 1.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30-2.59), followed by low education (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19-2.01), high body mass index (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.08) and male sex (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.001-2.01). CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of risk factors for incident myocardial infarction is different among survivors and those who die within 24 hours. The risk factors that contribute the most to death within 24 hours are diabetes mellitus, high body mass index and low education level, and can be addressed at both the public health level and by general practitioners.

Prodromal symptoms and health care consumption prior to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in patients without previously known ischaemic heart disease.

AIMS: To describe prodromal symptoms and health care consumption prior to an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in patients without previously known ischaemic heart disease (IHD). BACKGROUND: The most common lethal event of cardiovascular disease is sudden cardiac death, and the majority occur outside hospital. Little is known about prodromal symptoms and health care consumption associated with OHCAs. DESIGN: Case-crossover study. METHODS: Medical records of 403 OHCA cases without previously known IHD, age 25-74 years in the MONICA myocardial registry in Norrbotten County 2000-2008, were reviewed. Presenting symptoms and emergency visits at public primary care facilities and internal medicine clinics in Norrbotten County were analyzed from the week prior to the OHCA and from the same week one year previously, which served as a control week. Unlike most studies we included unwitnessed arrests and those where no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was attempted. RESULTS: Emergency visits were more common during the week prior to the OHCA than during the control week, both for visits to primary care (29 vs. 6, p<0.001) and to internal medicine clinics (16 vs. 0, p<0.001). Symptoms were more prevalent during the week prior to the OHCA (36.7 vs. 6.7%, p<0.001). The most prevalent symptoms were chest pain (14.6 vs. 0%, p<0.001), gastrointestinal symptoms (7.7 vs. 1.2%, p<0.001) and dyspnoea/peripheral oedema (6.9 vs. 0.2%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who suffer an OHCA seek health care and present prodromal symptoms significantly more often the week prior to the event than the same week one year earlier.

Meanings of people's lived experiences of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, 1 month after the event.

BACKGROUND: The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival rate has been poor and stable for a long time, but more recent studies describe its increase. However, there are few studies in which people narrate their experiences from surviving. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate meanings of people's lived experiences of surviving an OHCA with validated myocardial infarction (MI) etiology, 1 month after the event. METHODS: A purposive sample of 2 women and 9 men was interviewed between February 2011 and May 2012. A phenomenological hermeneutical method was used for analysis, which involved 3 steps: naive reading and understanding, structural analysis, and comprehensive understanding. RESULTS: There were 2 themes, (1) returning to life and (2) revaluing life, and five subthemes, (1a) waking up and missing the whole picture, (1b) realizing it was not time to die, (2a) wondering why and seeking explanations, (2b) feeling ambiguous in relations, and (2c) wondering whether life will be the same. All were constructed from the analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Surviving an OHCA with validated MI etiology meant waking up and realizing that one had experienced a cardiac arrest and had been resuscitated. These survivors had memory loss and a need to know what had happened during the time they were dead/unconscious. They searched for a reason why they experienced an MI and cardiac arrest and had gone from being "heart-healthy" to having a lifelong illness. They all had the experience of passing from life to death and back to life again. For the participants, these differences led to a revaluation of what is important in life.

Risk factors among people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and their thoughts about what lifestyle means to them: a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The known risk factors for coronary heart disease among people prior suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with validated myocardial infarction aetiology and their thoughts about what lifestyle means to them after surviving have rarely been described. Therefore the aim of the study was to describe risk factors and lifestyle among survivors. METHODS: An explanatory mixed methods design was used. All people registered in the Northern Sweden MONICA myocardial registry between the year 1989 to 2007 who survived out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with validated myocardial infarction aetiology and were alive at the 28th day after the onset of symptoms (n = 71) were included in the quantitative analysis. Thirteen of them participated in interviews conducted in 2011 and analysed via a qualitative manifest content analysis. RESULTS: About 60% of the people had no history of ischemic heart disease before the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but 20% had three cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol of more or equal 5 mmol/l or taking lipid lowering medication, and current smoker). Three categories (i.e., significance of lifestyle, modifying the lifestyle to the new life situation and a changed view on life) and seven sub-categories emerged from the qualitative analysis. CONCLUSIONS: For many people out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was the first symptom of coronary heart disease. Interview participants were well informed about their cardiovascular risk factors and the benefits of risk factor treatment. In spite of that, some chose to ignore this knowledge to some extent and preferred to live a "good life", where risk factor treatment played a minor part. The importance of the support of family members in terms of feeling happy and having fun was highlighted by the interview participants and expressed as being the meaning of lifestyle. Perhaps the person with illness together with health care workers should focus more on the meaningful and joyful things in life and try to adopt healthy behaviours linked to these things.

Trends in incidence and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among people with validated myocardial infarction.

AIMS: To describe trends in incidence, outcome, and background characteristics among people who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with validated myocardial infarction aetiology (OHCA-V). METHODS AND RESULTS: People from the northern Sweden MONICA myocardial registry (1989-2007) with OHCA-V (n = 2977) were divided in two age groups (25-64 and 65-74 years). Both those who were resuscitated outside hospital and those who died before resuscitation was started were included in the study. The younger age group was studied during 1989-2007 and the older group during 2000-2007. The incidence of OHCA-V decreased in both the younger group (men p < 0.0001, women p = 0.04) and the older group (men p < 0.0001, women p < 0.0007, respectively). The proportion with a history of ischaemic heart disease prior to the event decreased (p < 0.0001). The proportion of previous myocardial infarction decreased (p < 0.0001), diabetes mellitus increased (p = 0.001), coronary interventions increased (p < 0.0001), and survival after OHCA-V increased (p < 0.0001) in the younger group but not in the older group. Long-term survival after OHCA-V was better in the younger than in the older group (p = 0.026). CONCLUSION: The incidence of OHCA-V decreased in both sexes. The proportion surviving after OHCA-V was small but increased, and long-term survival (≥ 28 days) was better in the younger age group. Primary preventive measures may explain most of the improvements. However, the effects of secondary preventive measures cannot be excluded.

Better long-term survival in young and middle-aged women than in men after a first myocardial infarction between 1985 and 2006. An analysis of 8630 patients in the northern Sweden MONICA study.

BACKGROUND: There is conflicting and only scant evidence on the effect of gender on long-term survival after a myocardial infarction (MI). Our aim was to analyse sex-specific survival of patients for up to 23 years after a first MI in northern Sweden and to describe time trends. METHODS: The Northern Sweden MONICA Myocardial Infarction Registry was linked to The Swedish National Cause of Death Registry for a total of 8630 patients, 25 to 64 years of age, 6762 men and 1868 women, with a first MI during 1985-2006. Also deaths before admission to hospital were included. Follow-up ended on August 30, 2008. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 7.1 years, maximum 23 years and the study included 70 072 patient-years. During the follow-up 45.3% of the men and 43.7% of the women had died. Median survival for men was 187 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 179-194) and for women 200 months (95% CI 186-214). The hazard ratio (HR) for all cause mortality after adjustment for age group was 1.092 (1.010-1.18, P = 0.025) for females compared to males, i.e. 9 percent higher survival in women. After excluding subjects who died before reaching hospital HR declined to 1.017 (95%CI 0.93-1.11, P = 0.7). For any duration of follow-up a higher proportion of women were alive, irrespective of age group. The 5-year survivals were 75.3% and 77.5%, in younger (<57 years) men and women and were 65.5% and 66.3% in older (57-64 years) men and women, respectively. For each of four successive cohorts survival improved. Survival time was longer for women than for men in all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Age-adjusted survival was higher among women than men after a first MI and has improved markedly and equally in both men and women over a 23-year period. This difference was due to lower risk for women to die before reaching hospital.

Sudden cardiac death among people with diabetes: preventive measures documented in their medical records.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine how prevention of complications for people with diabetes mellitus had been conducted, as described in their medical records, focusing particularly on sudden cardiac death. A further aim was to compare the documentation with guidelines for diabetes care. BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, death and sudden cardiac death. About half of those affected by sudden cardiac death are assumed to have had one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease that could have been treated effectively resulting in a reduced risk of sudden death. DESIGN: Survey. METHOD: Fifty-six people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, who had died of a sudden cardiac arrest between the years 2003-2005, from the Northern Sweden MONICA myocardial registry were included. These people's medical records were examined with regard to documentation of the care given during the year prior to the person's sudden cardiac death. RESULTS: The qualitative content analysis resulted in four categories: individualised goals for diabetes care; prevention of complications; self-care; and factors which may affect ability to adhere to treatment. The quantitative analysis showed that few people with diabetes mellitus achieved goals for metabolic control, compared with those set in guidelines for diabetes mellitus care. CONCLUSION: To prevent complications for people with diabetes mellitus, it is a challenge for nurses and physicians to involve people with diabetes mellitus in their own care to improve the prognosis. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Examination of medical records of people with diabetes mellitus showed that documentation could be more informative and systematic. It is important to achieve better adherence to treatment and to increase people's understanding of their illness.

Gender differences in trends of acute myocardial infarction events: the Northern Sweden MONICA study 1985 - 2004.

BACKGROUND: The registration of non-fatal and fatal MI events initiated 1985 in the WHO MONICA project has been ongoing in northern Sweden since the end of the WHO project in 1995. The purpose of the present study was to analyze gender differences in first and recurrent events, case fatality and mortality in myocardial infarction (MI) in Northern Sweden during the 20-year period 1985 - 2004. METHODS: Diagnosed MI events in subjects aged 25-64 years in the Counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten were validated according to the MONICA protocol. The total number of events registered up to January 1, 2005 was 11,763: 9,387 in men and 2,376 in women. RESULTS: The proportion of male/female events has decreased from 5.5:1 to 3:1. For males the reductions were 30% and 70% for first and recurrent MI, respectively, and for women 0% and 40% in the 55-64 year group. For both sexes a 50% reduction in 28-day case fatality was seen in the 25-64 year-group. Mortality was reduced by 69% and 45% in men and women, respectively. CONCLUSION: First and recurrent events of myocardial infarction was markedly reduced in men over the 20-year observation period, but for women the reduction was seen only for recurrent infarctions. Case fatality, on the other hand, was markedly reduced for both sexes. As a result of the positive effects on incidence and case fatality a substantial reduction was seen in total mortality, most pronounced for men.

Time trends in symptoms and prehospital delay time in women vs. men with myocardial infarction over a 15-year period. The Northern Sweden MONICA Study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the time between onset of myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms and arrival at hospital (prehospital delay time) and symptoms in men vs. women. AIMS: To describe prehospital delay time and symptoms in men vs. women with MI and to analyse trends over time and according to age. METHODS: The Northern Sweden MONICA myocardial infarction registry, 1989-2003, included 5,072 men and 1,470 women with a confirmed MI. RESULTS: Typical pain was present in 86% of the men and 81% of the women. The proportion with typical symptoms decreased over time for men and increased for women. Typical symptoms were more common among younger persons than older persons. Insufficiently reported symptoms was unchanged in men over time and decreased among women. Up to the age of 65, no gender differences were seen in the prehospital delay. In the oldest age group (65-74 years) time to hospital was longer than among the younger groups, especially among women. CONCLUSION: There were no major gender differences in prehospital delay or type of symptoms. However, over time the proportion with typical symptoms decreased in men and increased in women. Older patients had longer prehospital delay and less typical symptoms.

Silent myocardial infarction in women with impaired glucose tolerance: the Northern Sweden MONICA study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) that is independent of traditional risk factors. Hence, slightly elevated glucose levels, even in the non-diabetic range, might be associated with increased macrovascular disease. METHODS: Within the Northern Sweden MONICA project a population survey was performed in 1986. Electrocardiograms (ECG's) were recorded for half of the survey (n = 790) and oral glucose test was carried out in 78 % of those. The association between subjects with ECG's indicating previously unknown myocardial infarction (ukMI), IGT and conventional risk factors were analyzed by logistic regression for men and women separately, adjusting for age, smoking, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension. RESULTS: Impaired glucose tolerance was significantly more common among women with ukMI, but not in men, compared to the group with normal ECG. In men, no variable was significantly associated with ukMI although the odds ratio (OR) for hypercholesterolemia was of borderline significance, 3.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9 to 11). The OR of having ukMI was 4.1 (CI 1.1 to 15) in women with IGT compared to women with normal glucose tolerance after multiple adjustment. The OR for hypertension was of borderline significance; 3.3 (CI 0.97 to 11). CONCLUSION: We found that IGT was associated with ECG findings indicating silent myocardial infarction in women in a middle-aged general population in northern Sweden. The results persisted even after adjusting for known risk factors.