Outcomes for working age patients after first-time acute coronary syndrome - ANZACS-QI 35

Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events and the ongoing burden of disease can have a significant impact on the subsequent life-course of working age people.

Methods: We report 12-month clinical outcomes for 10,822 patients hospitalized with first-time ACS between 2015-2016 and enrolled in the All New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Quality Improvement (ANZACS-QI) registry, with a focus on people of working age (defined as <65 years).

Results: Nearly half (48%) of first-time ACS occurred in people of working age. Compared to those >65 years, these patients had a high burden of cardiovascular risk factors, and were more likely to be male (75% vs 60%), to be of non-European ethnicity (36% vs 15%), and to be living in areas of high deprivation. Subsequent clinical events were common in the younger patients, with 15% dying or being readmitted for cardiovascular causes within 12 months despite high rates of angiography (96%), revascularization (74%) and evidence-based medical therapy at the time of the index ACS event.

Conclusions: The high risk factor burden and subsequent high rate of clinical events in working age patients reinforces the need for a longer-term focus on strategies to improve clinical outcomes following first-time ACS.