Abstract 246: Effect of Racial Factors on Timing of Readmissions After Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Background: Readmissions following acute myocardial infarction (MI) are associated with increased cost, healthcare utilization, and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to assess racial factors in influencing time for readmission after being admitted with myocardial infarction. Methods: We reviewed 6,626 cases of MI at a single quaternary care medical center from January 1 st , 2010 to January 1 st , 2017 (29% STEMI, 71% NSTEMI), and we identified all readmissions within 90 days after index MI. The patients were categorized according to their race into White Americans (72%), African Americans (25%) and others (3%). Readmissions were stratified into early (0-30 days) and late (31-90 days) time periods depending on the timing of readmission and these readmissions were also separated according to their corresponding race into White Americans (62%), African Americans (35%) and others (3%). Since White Americans and African Americans contributed to the bulk of our patient population, we analyzed the difference between these two groups. Results: There were a total of 2051 readmissions within 90 days after index MI. Overall, 50% of readmissions were in the early time period and 50% in the late period (after 30 days). 46% of African Americans were readmitted in the early time period compared to 52% of white patients whereas 54% of African Americans were readmitted in the late time period compared to 48% of white patients (P=0.0037). Conclusions: The temporal pattern of readmissions after myocardial infarction differed between Whites and African Americans. These findings may have implications regarding the development of readmission reduction strategies.