Pathways For Acute Coronary Syndromes Research Articles

Improving the non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) pathway using quality improvement methodology

BackgroundThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline quality standard for non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) pathway states that adults who have an intermediate or higher risk...

Performance of the Risk Scores for Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome in a Chinese Cohort.

The prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) varies greatly, and risk assessment models can help clinicians to identify and manage high-risk patients. While the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) model is widely used, the clinical pathways for acute coronary syndromes (CPACS), which was constructed based on the Chinese population, and acute coronary treatment and intervention outcomes network (ACTION) have not yet been validated in the Chinese population. Patients with ACS who underwent coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention from 2011 to 2020, were retrospectively recruited and the appropriate corresponding clinical indicators was obtained. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. The performance of the GRACE, GRACE 2.0, ACTION, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) and CPACS risk models was evaluated and compared. A total of 19,237 patients with ACS were included. Overall, in-hospital mortality was 2.2%. ACTION showed the highest accuracy in predicting discriminated risk (c-index 0.945, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.922-0.955), but the calibration was not satisfactory. GRACE and GRACE 2.0 did not significantly differ in discrimination (p = 0.1480). GRACE showed the most accurate calibration in all patients and in the subgroup analysis of all models. CPACS (c-index 0.841, 95% CI 0.821-0.861) and TIMI (c-index 0.811, 95% CI 0.787-0.835) did not outperform (c-index 0.926, 95% CI 0.911-0.940). In contemporary Chinese ACS patients, the ACTION risk model's calibration is not satisfactory, although outperformed the gold standard GRACE model in predicting hospital mortality. The CPACS model developed for Chinese patients did not show better predictive performance than the GRACE model.

Associated factors for discontinuation of statin use one year after discharge in patients with acute coronary syndrome in China

ObjectivesTo determine the associated factors for discontinuation of statin use 1 year after discharge in patients who survived from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in China.Settings75 hospitals across China.DesignA cohort follow-up...

Associations Between Education Level and In-hospital Treatment and Outcomes Among Acute Coronary Syndrome in China

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown an inverse relationship between education and clinical outcomes in coronary heart disease. Whether a similar association exists in patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in China is unknown. MethodsClinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes – Phase 2 (CPACS-2) was a study to evaluate a quality improvement for ACS management in China which implemented in 75 hospitals between October 2007 and August 2010. All patients was divided into 6 groups by education level. We evaluated clinical managements and outcomes according to level of education. ResultsA total of 14350 patients were enrolled in current analysis. Patients with less education were older, had greater female representation and had a higher Killip class at admission. Compared to patients with lower education levels, more educated patients had a longer length of hospitalization (p for trend <0.001), greater likelihood of receiving appropriate coronary angiography (p for trend <0.001) and appropriate reperfusion therapy for ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) (p for trend <0.001) even after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics and comorbidities at presentation. Patients with less education were at higher risk of death, cardiac death and major adverse cardiovascular events but none of these differences remained statistically significant after adjustment for baseline characteristics. ConclusionIn China, less educated patients with ACS were less likely to receive appropriate coronary angiography and reperfusion therapy. Less educated patients were at higher risk for adverse clinical events; however this was explained by differences in baseline characteristics.

The Hospital Management Practices in Chinese County Hospitals and Its Association with Quality of Care, Efficiency and Finance

Background: County hospitals as the backbone of the China’s healthcare system are providing services for over 70% of the total population. However, the hospital management practice (HMP) and its links with quality of care, efficiency and finance of these hospitals are unknown. Methods: We did two cross-sectional surveys of HMP in 2013 and 2015 among 101 county hospitals participated in the Third Phase of the Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China (CPACS-3) Study. A novel HMP rating scale, with 100 as full score, was used to measure the hospital management practice in 17 indicators under four dimensions (target, operation, performance, and talent management) for each hospital. We analyzed the association of HMP score with quality of care, efficiency and finance using general linear models with adjustment for potential confounders. Findings: A total of 83 hospitals responded in both surveys. The overall mean HMP score varied dramatically across the hospitals (from 31.1 to 71.1) and 86% of hospitals scored less than 60 out of 100. The dimension mean HMP score was 38.8 (target), 56.1 (operation), 52.9 (performance) and 55.6 (talent), respectively. The pattern of indicator mean HMP score, however, was almost identical between hospitals with high and low overall HMP score, showing the same ‘strength’ (staff satisfaction, staff performance appraisal, ‘hard wares’, patient-centered services, etc.) and ‘weakness’ indicators (target balance, target setting, continuous quality improvement, penalties on staff with dissatisfied performance, etc.). The overall mean HMP score was not associated with hospital care quality and efficiency but associated significantly with hospital annual revenue. Interpretation: The HMP in Chinese county hospitals scores low in general and was not associated with hospital care quality and efficiency but associated with the total revenue. The current healthcare reform in China should address the issues in hospital management practices. Trial Registration: This study is part of the ancillary study of the Third Phase of the Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China (CPACS-3) Program (NCT02195193). Funding Statement: Sanofi (China). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Peking University Institutional Review Board.

Should the primary percutaneous coronary intervention pathway be redesigned?

Background/Aims The primary percutaneous coronary intervention pathway for patients experiencing an ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome excludes patients with aVR ST elevation. These patients are treated on the non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome pathway, which means that they have a coronary angiogram +/− intervention during their inpatient stay. Patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome have worse outcomes nationally. As such, research is required to demonstrate areas for improvement. This article examines the association between aVR ST segment elevation on the electrocardiogram and significant left main stem, proximal left anterior descending, or 3-vessel coronary artery stenosis in acute coronary syndrome to establish whether the primary percutaneous coronary intervention pathway should be redesigned. Methods Existing literature was searched, and relevant studies were considered and evaluated. Data were collected within local NHS Trusts on patients who had aVR ST segment elevation on the electrocardiogram. The data were analysed, and the findings were compared and synthesised with the literature. Results The study demonstrated a relationship between aVR ST segment elevation and significant disease. However, because of the numbers involved, analysis to demonstrate statistical significance was not possible, with the exception of aVR ST segment elevation and left main stem coronary artery, left anterior descending coronary artery and triple vessel disease, where p&lt;0.05 in the population with left main stem coronary artery occlusion +/− other disease. The study demonstrated that aVR ST segment elevation should be treated as an ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome equivalent, as it is a high-risk finding. These patients should go immediately to the cardiac catheter laboratory for a primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Conclusion The need for a change in the primary percutaneous coronary intervention pathway was established.

Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome in China

Currently available risk scores (RSs) were derived from populations with very few participants from China. We aimed to develop an RS based on data from patients with acute coronary syndrome in China and to compare its performance with the commonly promoted Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) RS. Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes-Phase 2 was a trial of a quality improvement intervention in China. Patients recruited from 75 hospitals from October 2007 to August 2010 were divided into training and validation sets based on immediate or delayed implementation. A Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes (CPACS) RS for in-hospital mortality was developed separately by gender, using the training set (6,790 patients). Discrimination and calibration of the CPACS RS and GRACE RS were compared on the validation set (3,801 patients). Although discrimination of the GRACE RS was acceptable, this was improved with the CPACS RS (c-statistic 0.82 vs 0.87, p = 0.012 for men; c-statistic 0.78 vs 0.85, p = 0.006 for women). The absolute bias was significantly lower with CPACS RS for both genders (7.6% vs 97.5% in men and 21.5% vs 77.2% in women), compared with the GRACE RS, which systematically overestimated risk. The CPACS RS underestimated risk in women, but only in those already above threshold levels currently used to define a clinical high-risk population. In conclusion, the GRACE RS substantially overestimates the risk of in-hospital death in patients presenting to the hospital with a suspected acute coronary syndrome in China. We have developed and independently validated a new RS utilizing data from Chinese patients.

Treatment and outcomes of acute coronary syndromes in women: An analysis of a multicenter quality improvement Chinese study

BackgroundVariations in care and outcomes by sex in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been reported worldwide. The aims of this study are to describe ACS management according to sex in China and the effects of a quality improvement program in Chinese male and female ACS patients. Methods and resultsClinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes - Phase 2 (CPACS-2) was a cluster randomized trial to test whether a clinical pathways-based intervention would improve ACS management in China. The study enrolled 15,141 hospitalized patients [4631 (30.6%) were women] from 75 hospitals throughout China between October 2007 and August 2010. The intervention included clinical pathway implementation and performance measurement using standardized indicators with 6 monthly audit-feedback cycles. Eight key performance indicators reflecting in hospital management of ACS were measured. After adjustment for differences in patient characteristics and comorbidities at presentation, women were significantly less likely to undergo coronary angiography when indicated (RR 0.88 [0.85 to 0.92], P<0.001), less likely to receive guideline recommended medical therapies at discharge (RR 0.94 [0.91 to 0.98], P=0.003) and more likely to be hospitalized for shorter (mean difference −0.42 [−0.73 to −0.12] days, P=0.007). However, in-hospital clinical outcomes did not differ by sex. There was no evidence of heterogeneity in the relative effects of the quality improvement initiative by sex. ConclusionsSex disparities were apparent in some key quality of care indicators for patients with suspected with ACS presenting to hospitals in China. The beneficial effect of the quality improvement program was consistent in women and men. Clinical trial registrationhttp://www.anzctr.org.au/default.aspx. Unique identifier: ACTRN12609000491268.

Strategies to Increase Screening of STEMI/NSTEMI Inpatients for Depression

Background: The Illawarra/Shoalhaven has a population of approximately 500,000 people. Wollongong Hospital is the major centre for admitting patients with cardiac problems. Depression is a known risk factor for heart disease. Wollongong Hospital Coronary Care Unit have been participating in the screening of inpatients with NSTEMI/STEMI for depression since May 2015. There were total of 976 eligible patients from May 2015 to December 2016. Despite in service education, only 163 (16.7%) patients were screened. Methods: In an attempt to increase depression screening following strategies have been implemented.1.A4 size posters placed in staff locker room and staff toilets with the question “Has your patient been screened for depression?”•Cardiology CNC emailed the nursing staff with the figures on the number of patients screened against the number of patients who were eligible to be screened.•Reminder card placed in the staff communication book and patient folders asking staff if they have screened their patient for depression.•In-services to nursing staff and depression screening discussed in staff ward meeting by the Cardiac Rehab staff. Results: Unfortunately most of these strategies have not made much impact. In fact screening decreased to 3% of eligible patients in December 2016. Conclusions: To overcome this low rate of screening, The Acute Coronary Syndrome Pathway is being revised and the Depression Screening form has been added to this pathway. More in-services for nursing staff are being conducted to reiterate the importance of screening in an effort to increase depression screening.

System Barriers to the Evidence-Based Care of Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients in China

Organizational and wider health system factors influence the implementation and success of interventions. Clinical Pathways in Acute Coronary Syndromes 2 is a cluster randomized trial of a clinical pathway-based intervention to improve acute coronary syndrome care in hospitals in China. We performed a qualitative evaluation to examine the system-level barriers to implementing clinical pathways in the dynamic healthcare environment of China. A qualitative descriptive analysis of 40 in-depth interviews with health professionals conducted in a sample of 10 hospitals purposively selected to explore barriers to implementation of the intervention. Qualitative data were analyzed using the Framework method. In-depth interviews identified 5 key system-level barriers to effective implementation: (1) leadership support for implementing quality improvement, (2) variation in the capacity of clinical services and quality improvement resources, (3) fears of patient disputes and litigation, (4) healthcare funding constraints and high out-of-pocket expenses, and (5) patient-related factors. System-level barriers affect the ability of acute coronary syndrome clinical pathways to change practice. Addressing these barriers in the context of current and planned national health system reform will be critical for future improvements in the management of acute coronary syndromes, and potentially other hospitalized conditions, in China. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/default.aspx. Register. Unique identifier: ACTRN12609000491268.

Impact of an Acute Coronary Syndrome Pathway in Achieving Target Heart Rate and Utilization of Evidence-Based Doses of Beta-Blockers

Beta-blockers remain a cornerstone of therapy in the management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The 2007 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association unstable angina/non-ST elevation myocardial infarction guideline revisions recommend a target heart rate (HR) of 50-60 beats per minute (bpm). Despite improved trends toward utilization of beta-blockers therapy, beta-blockers continue to be underdosed. Guideline-based tools have been shown to improve adherence to evidence-based therapy in patients with ACS. Implementation of a standardized ACS pathway would lead to titration of beta-blockers to recommended dosages with improved HRs in eligible patients. The ACS clinical protocol was implemented at the University of Toledo Medical Center in May 2007. A retrospective study of 516 patients admitted during a comparable 6-month period, before and after the institution of the protocol, was conducted. The preprotocol and protocol group included 237 and 279 patients, respectively. Patient information extracted from the medical records included age, gender, HR on admission, blood pressure on admission, duration of hospital stay, preadmission use of beta-blocker, type of beta-blocker and dosage, discharge beta-blocker and dosage, peak troponin levels, and therapeutic intervention. A target HR of less than 60 bpm was achieved in 19% of the protocol group, as compared with 6% in the preprotocol group (P < 0.001). The protocol group had a significantly lower mean discharge HR than the preprotocol group (67 vs. 74 bpm; P < 0.001). The mean discharge dose of metoprolol in the protocol group was noted to be significantly higher (118 vs. 80 mg/d; P < 0.001). The institution of an ACS clinical pathway led to utilization of beta-blockers in significantly higher dosages, resulting in improved HR control and increased attainment of target HR.

Updating an Institutional Chest Pain Algorithm

Clinical treatment pathways are useful to ensure that evidence-based medicine is consistently applied in hospital systems and have been shown to improve patient outcomes. Such pathways need to be regularly updated and revised by incorporating new evidence from clinical trials to ensure optimal clinical care. In 2011, we published the Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital - Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes and Chest Pain. This algorithm includes primary percutaneous coronary intervention for all patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and an early invasive approach for patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Since our last chest pain algorithm update, the novel antiplatelet agent ticagrelor has been introduced in the United States, resulting in an important revision of our acute coronary syndrome clinical pathways. Herein, we present our updated chest pain algorithm and provide rationale for the changes that we have made to our protocol.

Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China

Clinical pathways have been shown to be effective in improving quality of care for patients admitted to hospital for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in high-income countries. However, their utility has not formally been evaluated in low- or middle-income countries. The Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China program is a 7-year study with the overall goal of reducing evidence-practice gaps in the management of patients admitted to hospitals in China with suspected ACS. The program comprises 2 phases: a prospective survey of current management of ACS patients to identify the areas that evidence-based patient care can be potentially improved, and a quality care initiative to maximize the use of evidence-based investigations and treatments for ACS patients in China. In this article, we outline the details of the study protocol, including key aspects of the development, implementation, and evaluation of the quality improvement initiative (clinical pathway) for management of patients with suspected ACS.

Evidence-based medication use among Chinese patients with acute coronary syndromes at the time of hospital discharge and 1 year after hospitalization: Results from the Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China (CPACS) study

Coronary heart disease has emerged as a leading cause of death in China. Although there is strong evidence for the use of antiplatelet, blood pressure-lowering, and lipid-lowering therapy in patients with acute coronary syndromes, the extent to which these medications are used in China remains uncertain. We conducted a multicenter prospective study using data from consecutive patients diagnosed with suspected acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris admitted to the inpatient wards during the recruitment period. Medication adherence and reasons for nonadherence were reported using standardized questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to identify important patient and hospital characteristics associated with use of medication at 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge. The use of drug therapy was high (above 90% for aspirin, 70% for beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, 80% for statin) at the time of hospital discharge but decreased during follow-up. However, fewer than half (48%) of patients were discharged on 4-drug combination therapy (antiplatelet, beta-blocker, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker, and statin), and the proportion remaining on this treatment 1 year after discharge was even lower (41%). In adjusted logistic regression analyses, medical insurance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and administration of invasive therapy (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft) were important in determining use of treatment at discharge and during follow-up. In a substantial proportion of patients, medication was considered "not indicated" by the treating physician. The findings highlight opportunities to improve the use and maintenance of appropriate combinations of evidence-based treatment among patients with acute coronary syndromes presenting to hospitals in China.

Towards a Safer Culture: clinical pathways in acute coronary syndromes and stroke.

Towards a Safer Culture (TASC) aims to provide a safer culture in hospital departments by introducing clinical pathways for the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes or stroke. Specific clinical pathways have been implemented for patients with different levels of risk to guide the most appropriate evidence-based medical care for each patient. Pathways facilitate continuity of care across different clinical departments by identifying gaps in care, and clarifying tasks and responsibilities. A multidisciplinary and interdepartmental approach to managing patients is seen as an effective way of effecting change. A system for "point-of-care" data acquisition, a centralised database and web-based reporting enable benchmarking for participating hospitals. A comprehensive range of educational/training strategies is used to facilitate multidisciplinary teamwork and promote clinical leadership. Phase 1 of TASC was successfully piloted at four hospitals in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. TASC is currently being rolled out to 29 hospitals in NSW and three hospitals in Western Australia.

Prothrombotic and antithrombotic pathways in acute coronary syndromes

The acute coronary syndromes arise from procoagulant changes in complex plaques, which trigger both platelet activation and coagulation pathways. These 2 pathways intersect at a number of points that form positive-feedback loops to sustain and accelerate thrombus formation. In normal hemostasis and with a healthy endothelium, intravascular thrombosis is prevented, and vascular patency is protected by the fibrinolytic system and a number of antithrombotic factors, such as antithrombin, thrombomodulin, and tissue factor pathway inhibitor. However, atherosclerosis is characterized by a hypercoagulable state, and the fibrinolytic balance is skewed toward occlusive thrombus formation at critical sites on vulnerable plaques. This review focuses on cellular and humoral mechanisms and the antithrombotic strategies that are important during the acute phase of an ischemic coronary syndrome, both in patients managed conservatively and in patients scheduled for an interventional procedure. These strategies include fibrinolytic therapy, antiplatelet therapies (aspirin, clopidogrel, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors), and low–molecular-weight heparin.

Usefulness of an acute coronary syndrome pathway to improve adherence to secondary prevention guidelines

tricuspid regurgitation velocity at rest and during exercise in normal adult men: implications for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol 1999;33:1662–1666. 11. Prescott R. The comparison of success rates in cross-over trials in the presence of an order effect. Applied Statistics 1979:9–15. 12. Grizzle J. The two-period change over design and its use in clinical trials. Biometrics 1965:467–480. 13. Hecht H, DeBord L, Sotomayor N, Shaw R, Dunlap R, Ryan C. Supine bicycle stress echocardiography: peak exercise imaging is superior to postexercise imaging. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 1993;6:265–271. 14. Coplan N, Sacknoff D, Stachenfeld N, Gleim G. Comparison of submaximal treadmill and supine bicycle exercise. Am Heart J 1994;128:416–418. 15. Ryan T, Segar D, Sawada S, Berkovitz KE, Whang D, Dohan AM, Duchak J, White TE, Foltz J, O’Donnell JA. Detection of coronary artery disease with upright bicycle exercise echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 1993;6:186– 197. 16. Dagianti A, Penco M, Bandiera A, Sgorbini L, Fedele F. Clinical application of exercise stress echocardiography: supine bicycle or treadmill? Am J Cardiol 1998;81(suppl):62G–67G. 17. Freeman M, Berman D, Staniloff H, Elkayam U, Maddahi J, Swan H, Forrester J. Comparison of upright and supine bicycle exercise in the detection and evaluation of extent of coronary artery disease by equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography. Am Heart J 1981:182–189. 18. Buckberg GD, Fixler DE, Archie JP, Hoffman JI. Experimental subendocardial ischemia in dogs with normal coronary arteries. Circ Res 1972;30:67–81.

Treatment algorithms and critical pathways for acute coronary syndromes.

Although numerous clinical trials have identified many advances in the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), registries of clinical practice have identified that in clinical practice a large proportion of patients do not receive guideline-recommended therapies. In addition to development and dissemination of national guidelines, there is a need for specific tools to ensure that the guideline recommendations are implemented on a patient-by-patient basis. Better adherence to practice guidelines has been found to be associated with improved outcomes. Critical pathways and/or the process of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) are means of trying to improve care. Critical pathways are standardized protocols that aim to optimize and streamline patient care, which usually involve standardized order sets, (or computerized ones), and/or simple pocket cards, reminders, or checklists of the appropriate therapies. Another key part of an overall CQI effort is to monitor data on performance-i.e. utilization of guideline recommended therapies. Several well-conducted studies, showing that particular use of critical pathways, can lead to improve quality of care.