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Characteristics, Treatment Practices, And In-Hospital Outcomes Of Older Adults Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction, Han-Yang Chen, David Mcmanus, Jane Saczynski, Jerry Gurwitz, Joel Gore, Jorge Yarzebski, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVES: To examine overall and decade-long trends (1999-2009), characteristics, treatment practices, and hospital outcomes in individuals aged 65 and older hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and to describe how these factors varied in the youngest, middle, and oldest-old individuals.

DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING: Population-based Worcester Heart Attack Study.

MEASUREMENTS: Analyses were conducted to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, cardiac treatments, and hospital outcomes of older adults in three age strata (65-74, 75-84, > /=85).

PARTICIPANTS: The study sample consisted of 3,851 individuals aged 65 and older hospitalized with AMI every other year between 1999 and 2009; 32% were …

Long-Term Trends In Short-Term Outcomes In Acute Myocardial Infarction, Hoa Nguyen, Jane Saczynski, Joel Gore, Molly Waring, Darleen Lessard, Jorge Yarzebski, George Reed, Frederick Spencer, Shu-Xia Li, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to examine the magnitude of, and 20-year trends in, age differences in short-term outcomes among men and women hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in central Massachusetts.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 5907 male and 4406 female residents of the Worcester, MA, metropolitan area hospitalized at all greater Worcester medical centers with AMI between 1986 and 2005.

RESULTS: Overall, among both men and women, older patients were significantly more likely to have developed atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and to have died during hospitalization and within 30 days after admission compared with patients …

Declining Length Of Stay For Patients Hospitalized With Ami: Impact On Mortality And Readmissions, Jane Saczynski, Darleen Lessard, Frederick Spencer, Jerry Gurwitz, Joel Gore, Jorge Yarzebski, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

BACKGROUND: Length of hospital stay after acute myocardial infarction decreased significantly in the 1980s and 1990s. Whether length of stay has continued to decrease during the 2000s, and the impact of decreasing length of stay on rehospitalization and mortality, is unclear. We describe decade-long (1995-2005) trends in length of stay after acute myocardial infarction, and examine whether declining length of stay has impacted early rehospitalization and postdischarge mortality in a population-based sample of hospitalized patients.

METHODS: The study sample consisted of 4184 patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in a central New England metropolitan area during 6 annual periods (1995, …

Body Mass Index, Treatment Practices, And Mortality In Patients With Acute Heart Failure, Timothy Fitzgibbons, Olga Hardy, Darleen Lessard, Joel Gore, Jorge Yarzebski, Robert Goldberg

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVES: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF). Among patients presenting with acute HF, however, differences in clinical characteristics, treatment regimens, and short-term prognosis of varying weights are largely unknown, particularly from a broader population-based perspective. METHODS: A total of 3722 patients admitted with acute HF to 11 greater Worcester (Massachusetts, USA) hospitals during 1995 and 2000 were categorized as being lean (n = 216), normal weight (n = 1465), overweight (n = 1007), or obese (n = 1034) at the time of hospitalization. RESULTS: Obese patients with decompensated HF were significantly younger (mean age = …

Multidecade-Long Trends (1986-2005) In The Utilization Of Coronary Reperfusion And Revascularization Treatment Strategies In Patients Hospitalized With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Community-Wide Perspective, Jared Wasser, Robert Goldberg, Frederick Spencer, Jorge Yarzebski, Joel Gore

Jorge L. Yarzebski

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of our community-wide investigation were to describe multidecade-long trends (1986-2005) in the utilization of thrombolytic therapy, percutaneous coronary interventions, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: The study sample consisted of 9422 greater Worcester (MA) residents hospitalized with confirmed AMI at all metropolitan Worcester medical centers in 11 annual periods between 1986 and 2005. RESULTS: Increases in the utilization of percutaneous coronary interventions were observed between 1986 (2.0%) and 2005 (50.7%) with the most rapid increases beginning in the late 1990s. Utilization of coronary artery bypass graft surgery during …