New study shows substantial variation in heart attack treatment across England for patients with reduced kidney function

A new study using the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (NICOR) Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) data highlights substantial variation in how patients hospitalised at English hospitals are managed for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), particularly patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and reduced kidney function.

Analysing data from over 360,000 AMI admissions between 2014 and 2019, researchers observed variation in the use of invasive management strategies – namely, angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) – versus conservative management. Patients with worse kidney function were notably less likely to receive invasive care, even after adjusting for other factors.

These findings highlight the need for further work to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of invasive versus conservative management strategies among people with reduced kidney function to reduce variation in care and improve outcomes for patients.

You can read the new study in full via the BMJ Open Journals.

Further information about MINAP including the data, is available via the NICOR website.