Temporal trends in the characteristics, treatment and clinical outcomes of conservatively managed patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome: ACSIS registry 2000–2016

Abstract

Abstract Background Despite advances in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), a sub group of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are still managed medically by a conservative approach. We sought to characterize a contemporary, large-scale, real-world cohort of ACS patients treated conservatively via pharmacological management, without PCI. Methods Data from the ACS Israeli Survey (ACSIS) accrued between 2000–2016, encompassing all consecutive patients admitted to cardiology wards with an ACS diagnosis. Examined were 3543 conservatively managed patients with non-ST elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). Patients with ST elevation MI or those referred to bypass surgery were excluded. Primary endpoints were 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and 1-year mortality. The study cohort was divided to 4 time-periods. Results Over 2 decades, medically managed NSTE-ACS patients remained of similar age (67±13y, p=0.78), but had more atherosclerotic risk-factors and comorbidities. During time, patients were more often referred to diagnostic angiography and treated with statins, ACE-I/ARBs, and P2Y12 inhibitors (p<0.001 for each). Over time, there were less in-hospital complications such as kidney injury and heart failure. The rate of 30-day MACE decreased (from 20.7% to 10.3%, earliest to latest period, p<0.001). Compared with the earliest period, the latest period was associated with a reduction in 1-year mortality (14.7% to 11.6%; adjusted HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47–0.90). Conclusions Over two decades, in medically managed NSTE-ACS patients, short term prognosis has significantly improved while 1-year mortality demonstrated improvement only recently, likely due to incremental benefits of medical management. Further studies are needed to examine treatment modalities in these unique ACS patients. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Kaplan Meier survival curvesTrends in management and Angiographies