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Large differences between patients with acute myocardial infarction included in two Swedish health registers
Sara Aspberg1, Ulf Stenestrand, Max Köster
1Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. sara.aspberg@ds.se
Insights
This study compared two Swedish registries for acute myocardial infarction (MI). The Register of information and knowledge about Swedish heart intensive care admissions (RIKS-HIA) captured healthier patients, while the Swedish statistics of acute myocardial infarctions (S-AMI) had broader coverage but less detail.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a significant cause of illness and death in Sweden.
- Effective patient data management is crucial for improving cardiovascular care.
- Two major Swedish registries, RIKS-HIA and S-AMI, capture data on acute MI patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the characteristics of acute MI patients registered in RIKS-HIA versus S-AMI.
- To assess the coverage and representativeness of these two national health registries.
- To inform strategies for enhancing the quality of care for acute coronary syndromes.
Main Methods:
- A population-based register study utilizing data from RIKS-HIA, S-AMI, the National patient register, and the Cause of death register.
- Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine odds ratios.
- Data linkage was performed for cases between 2001 and 2007.
Main Results:
- Over 114,000 cases were in RIKS-HIA and nearly 200,000 in S-AMI.
- Linked data included over 110,000 cases, revealing RIKS-HIA patients were younger, more often male, healthier, and received more invasive procedures.
- Significant regional variations existed in patient reporting to RIKS-HIA.
Conclusions:
- RIKS-HIA included approximately half of all acute MI patients, representing a healthier subgroup.
- S-AMI captured nearly all acute MI cases but offered limited patient information.
- Combining both registries can improve the quality of care for all acute coronary syndrome patients.
Background:
Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause for morbidity and mortality in Sweden. We aimed to compare patients with an acute MI included in the Register of information and knowledge about Swedish heart intensive care admissions (RIKS-HIA, now included in the register Swedeheart) and in the Swedish statistics of acute myocardial infarctions (S-AMI).
Methods:
Population based register study including RIKS-HIA, S-AMI, the National patient register and the Cause of death register. Odds ratios were determined by logistic regression analysis.
Results:
From 2001 to 2007, 114,311 cases in RIKS-HIA and 198,693 cases in S-AMI were included with a discharge diagnosis of an acute MI. Linkage was possible for 110,958 cases. These cases were younger, more often males, had fewer concomitant diseases and were more often treated with invasive coronary artery procedures than patients included in S-AMI only. There were substantial regional differences in proportions of patients reported to RIKS-HIA.
Conclusions:
Approximately half of all patients with an acute MI were included in RIKS-HIA. They represented a relatively more healthy population than patients included in S-AMI only. S-AMI covered almost all patients with an acute MI but had limited information about the patients. Used in combination, these two registers can give better prerequisites for improved quality of care of all patients with acute coronary syndromes.
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