AHA: Care for Type 2 Myocardial Infarction Patients Varies

MONDAY, Nov. 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Care for patients with type 2 myocardial infarction (MI) varies substantially, according to a research letter published online Nov. 9 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes to coincide with the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020, held virtually from Nov. 13 to 17.

Cian P. McCarthy, M.B., B.Ch., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues used electronic medical records to identify 359 patients with type 2 MI to determine how often patients are evaluated by a cardiologist during hospitalization and the association between these evaluations and diagnostic testing and treatments.

The researchers found that 57.7 percent of type 2 MI patients were evaluated by a cardiologist (33.4 percent received a cardiology consultation and 24.2 percent were admitted to a cardiology service). Cardiovascular risk factors were more common among patients evaluated by a cardiologist. During the index admission, patients undergoing a cardiologist consult more commonly underwent stress testing (13.5 versus 3.3 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 4.91), transthoracic echocardiography (80.2 versus 50.7 percent; adjusted odds ratio, 4.68), and coronary angiography (21.3 versus 0 percent). All-cause mortality was similar among those who were or were not evaluated by a cardiologist (11.6 versus 9.2 percent).

“Our analysis raises the possibility of gaps in care for patients with type 2 MI,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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