Age, disease history predict 30-day hospital readmission after first acute myocardial infarction
17 Sep 2021
Patients whose heart attacks were labelled as secondary diagnosis were more likely to die than those whose primary cause of admission was a heart attack.Old age and a history of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease are associated with an increased risk for hospital readmission, suggests a study. Enhanced surveillance efforts and tailored educational and treatment approaches are needed.
In this study, the authors examined trends in the frequency and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after an initial acute myocardial infarction. They reviewed medical records of 3,116 individuals (median age 67 years, 42 percent women) who were hospitalized for a validated first acute myocardial infarction in six study periods between 2003 and 2015 at the three major medical centres in central Massachusetts.
The risk of 30-day hospital readmission after an initial acute myocardial infarction slightly rose during the most recent study years after controlling for potentially confounding factors.
Overall, older adults and patients with a previous diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease had a higher risk of being readmitted to the hospital than respective comparison groups.
For patients hospitalized in the most recent study years of 2011/2015, the following factors correlated with a higher risk of rehospitalization: a previous diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, peripheral vascular disease, the presence of three or more chronic conditions, and having developed atrial fibrillation or heart failure during the patient’s hospitalization for a first acute myocardial infarction.