ACS Patients Not Always Getting Recommended Therapy at Discharge

the MPR take:

One in 5 patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome are not receiving the recommended therapy outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidleines upon discharge, according to a study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Based on the ACC/AHA guidelines, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) are recommended for patients to reduce mortality after myocardial infarction. However after analyzing over 80,000 patients discharged from 311 U.S. hospitals, researchers found that 1 out of every 5 eligible patients did not receive the recommended therapy upon discharge.  The likelihood of receiving an ARB/ACEI was even lower in patients who had just had CABG surgery or those with renal insufficiency. Researchers point out that more needs to be done to improve the quality of care in these patients.