Abstract
Objective: We carried out a retrospective cohort study to examine the influence of personal and disease characteristics at the time of admission on the 30-day mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among Chinese subjects. Methods: All 1440 patients with transmural AMI admitted to the coronary care unit of a major regional hospital in Hong Kong from 1991 to 2001 were included and followed up for at least 30 days. Coxs proportional hazard regression model was used to examine the independent effects of various personal and disease characteristics on 30-day mortality. Results: 253 patients (17.6%) died within 30 days of symptom onset. Significant predictors of 30-days mortality were older age, pre-morbid New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class Grade II to IV (vs Grade I), anterior AMI (vs inferior/ posterior AMI), use of diuretics before admission and thrombolytic therapy after admission (protective). Conclusion: The predictors identified would assist clinicians in characterizing the mortality risks of patients at the time of admission for AMI, so that appropriate strategy for management can be planned.
Keywords: Acute myocardial infarction, Cox proportional hazard regression model, mortality, prediction, retrospective cohort study
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