The impact of COPD on management and outcomes of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction: a 10-year retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND: There are limited data describing contemporary trends in the management and outcomes of patients with COPD who develop acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: The study population consisted of patients hospitalized with AMI at all greater Worcester, Massachusetts, medical centers between 1997 and 2007. RESULTS: Of the 6,290 patients hospitalized with AMI, 17% had a history of COPD. Patients with COPD were less likely to be treated with beta-blockers or lipid-lowering therapy or to have undergone interventional procedures during their index hospitalization than patients without COPD. Patients with COPD were at higher risk for dying during hospitalization (13.5% vs 10.1%) and at 30 days after discharge (18.7% vs 13.2%), and their outcomes did not improve during the decade-long period under study. After multivariable adjustment, the adverse effects of COPD remained on both in-hospital (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.99-1.50) and 30-day all-cause mortality (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.10-1.58). The use of evidence-based therapies for all patients with AMI increased between 1997 and 2007, with a particularly marked increase for patients with COPD. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the gap in medical care between patients with and without COPD hospitalized with AMI narrowed substantially between 1997 and 2007. Patients with COPD, however, remain less aggressively treated and are at increased risk for hospital adverse outcomes than patients without COPD in the setting of AMI. Careful consideration is necessary to ensure that these high-risk complex patients are not denied the benefits of effective cardiac therapies