NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- A study of 315 U.S. hospitals shows the closer they adhere to national guidelines for treating heart attack patients, the lower their mortality rates.
Duke Clinical Research Institute researchers presented their findings Wednesday at the annual scientific sessions of American Heart Association in New Orleans.
The study involved analyzing reports of hospitals' adherence to treatment guidelines and mortality rates from 2002 to 2003.
Over the two year period, the mortality risks rose by 3.1 percent at hospitals whose care had worsened by straying from national guidelines. In contrast, mortality risks declined by 37 percent over the same time period among hospitals whose care patterns were most improved.
The American College of Cardiology and the AHA issued guidelines for optimal care of patients who arrive at hospital with symptoms of chest pain, irregular readings on an electrocardiograph or elevated chemical markers of cell death.
The guidelines focus on giving suspected heart attack patients anti-platelet medications, heparin, glycoprotein clot inhibitors (clot inhibitors) or beta-blockers within the first 24 hours of admission.
