Association of Guideline-Based Admission Treatments and Life Expectancy After Myocardial Infarction in Elderly Medicare Beneficiaries

Abstract Background Guideline-based admission therapies for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) significantly improve 30-day survival, but little is known about their association with long-term outcomes. Objectives This study evaluated the association of 5 AMI admission therapies (aspirin, beta-blockers, acute reperfusion therapy, door-to-balloon [D2B] time ≤90 min, and time to fibrinolysis ≤30 min) with life expectancy and years of life saved after AMI. Methods We analyzed data from the Cooperative Cardiovascular Project, a study of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for AMI, with 17 years of follow-up. Life expectancy and years of life saved after AMI were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression with extrapolation using exponential models. Results Survival for recipients and non-recipients of the 5 guideline-based therapies diverged early after admission and continued to diverge during 17-year follow-up. Receipt of aspirin, beta-blockers, and acute reperfusion therapy on admission was associated with longer life expectancy of 0.78 (standard error [SE]: 0.05), 0.55 (SE: 0.06), and 1.03 (SE: 0.12) years, respectively. Patients receiving primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 90 min lived 1.08 (SE: 0.49) years longer than patients with D2B times >90 min, and door-to-needle (D2N) times ≤30 min were associated with 0.55 (SE: 0.12) more years of life. A dose–response relationship was observed between longer D2B and D2N times and shorter life expectancy after AMI. Conclusions Guideline-based therapy for AMI admission is associated with both early and late survival benefits, and results in meaningful gains in life expectancy and large numbers of years of life saved in elderly patients.