In-hospital initiation of statin therapy in patients with acute coronary events.

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

After acute coronary events, patients remain at high risk for recurrent cardiovascular events and mortality. Despite the compelling scientific and clinical trial evidence that statin therapy reduces mortality in patients after acute coronary events, this life-saving therapy continues to be underutilized. It is now recognized that the setting in which statin therapy is initiated has a major impact on patient adherence. In-hospital initiation of statin therapy has been demonstrated to result in a markedly increased treatment rate, improved long-term patient compliance, more patients reaching low-density lipoprotein levels less than 100 mg/dL, and improved long-term clinical outcomes. As long-term risk reduction is seen with statin therapy irrespective of baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, virtually all acute coronary event patients are candidates for statin treatment. In-hospital initiation of statin therapy may also reduce early clinical events in acute coronary syndrome patients, but further research is required before this is fully established. The adoption of in-hospital initiation of statin therapy as the standard of care for patients hospitalized with acute coronary events will dramatically improve treatment rates and thus substantially reduce the risk of future coronary events and prolong life in the large number of patients hospitalized each year.