Potential demographic and baselines variables for risk stratification of high-risk post-myocardial infarction patients in the era of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator — A prognostic indicator

BACKGROUND: Risk stratification after myocardial infarction (MI) remains expensive and disappointing. We designed a prognostic indicator using demographic information to select patients at risk of dying after MI. METHOD AND RESULTS: We combined individual patient data from the placebo arms of EMIAT, CAMIAT, TRACE and DIAMOND-MI with LVEF 10 ventricular premature beats/hour or a run of ventricular tachycardia). Risk factors for mortality beginning at day 45 post-MI up to 2 years were examined using Cox regression analysis. Risk scores were derived from the equation of a Cox regression model containing only significant variables. The prognostic index was the sum of the individual contribution from the risk factors. 2707 patients were pooled (age: 66 (23-92) years, 78.8% M) with 480 deaths at 2-years (44% arrhythmic and 35.6% non-arrhythmic cardiac deaths). Variables predicting mortality were age, sex, previous MI or angina, hypertension, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, NYHA functional class and non-Q wave infarct on electrocardiogram. Distinct survival curves were obtained for 3 risk groups based on the median and inter-quartile range for the prognostic index. In the high-risk group, up to 40% of patients died (all-cause mortality), 19.1% died of arrhythmic and 18.2% died of non-arrhythmic cardiac causes at 2-years. CONCLUSION: In post-MI patients with LVEF

Potential demographic and baselines variables for risk stratification of high-risk post-myocardial infarction patients in the era of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator — A prognostic indicator Journal Articles