Good Practices in the Clinical Management of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Retrospective Analysis in a Third-Level Hospital in Mexico

Abstract

Introduction and Objective. In Mexico, there has been an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease due to rising life expectancy, westernized lifestyle, lack of prevention, and industrialized exposure. This article describes the pharmacological treatment, surgical interventions, and associated clinical complications in patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and their impact on in-hospital mortality frequency in a Cardiology Unit in Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Methods. This is a retrospective study including male and female patients aged ≥18 years who were diagnosed with ACS. The collected data included demographic characteristics, risk factors, medications, electrocardiograms, surgical procedures, and in-hospital deaths. Results. There are at least 20% more diagnoses of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in this hospital compared to the latest national reports in Mexico. The most common risk factors were type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidaemia. Diabetic patients with a clinical history of percutaneous coronary intervention had a higher risk of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction than nondiabetics (OR: 2.34; p=0.013), also smoking patients with previous heart surgery than nonsmokers (OR: 7.73; p=0.0007). The average in-hospital mortality was 3.6% for ACS. Conclusions. There is a higher percentage of coronary interventionism and improvement in pharmacological treatment, which is reflected in lower mortality. The substantial burden of T2DM could be related to a higher number of cases of STEMI. Diabetics with precedent percutaneous coronary intervention and smokers with previous heart surgery have an increased risk of subsequent infarction.