A new report called out care disparities with regard to a specific type of heart attack known as ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Authors said the differences, namely in income level, show that some people aren’t as likely to get as good of care for it than others.
STEMI occurs when a coronary artery is almost completely blocked. It’s the most dangerous type of heart attack and can cause death. Diagnosing it early and treating it is critical, but some groups of people don’t get equal care, which can lead to higher death rates.
Details were presented Thursday at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2024 Scientific Sessions. The event was held in California.
Lower-income people have a greater risk of experiencing a STEMI-related heart attack, according to data analyzed from 2004 to 2020. In fact, the incidence of STEMI was about 20% lower in higher income populations — a trend consistent during the study period.
Investigators examined data from 3,426,898 people, and found that the incidence of STEMI went down in older adults from 98.7 per 100,000 inpatient hospitalizations per population in 2004, to 49 in 2020. But it went up during the same time in small- and medium-sized hospitals. Death rates from STEMI for people over 85 decreased from 25% to 22% during the study span, and from 13% to 10.5% in people between 65 and 84 during the same time. Of those aged 45 to 65, mortality from STEMI slightly rose from 4% to 5.5% from 2004 to 2020, and adults aged 18 to 44 had a steady death rate from 2.5% to 3% during the years studied.
“Advancing science in focus areas that bring to light disparities that exist is important to understand where we, as healthcare innovators, need to do more,” George D. Dangas, MD, president of the society, said in a statement. “As the leading organization representing interventional cardiologists,, it is up to us to start the conversation on these injustices, so we can address them and provide equitable care for all.”“Seeing a decline in STEMI overall was surprising,” Fares Ghanem, MD, a cardiovascular disease physician at Southern Illinois University, who led the study, said in a statement. “However, the disparities uncovered by our study emphasize there is a gap in care. We encourage clinicians to focus on providing equitable access to high-quality care through increased education and implementing targeted interventions for vulnerable populations. Our goal is for our data to be used to help create better, more tailored care plans for patients across the country.”
