Determinants of improved one-year survival in non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients: insights from the French FAST-MI program over 15 years.

Background: Improved early outcome in non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) patients has been mainly attributed to a broader use of invasive strategies. Little is known about the impact of other changes in early management.

Methods: We aimed to assess 15-year trends in one-year mortality and their determinants in NSTEMI patients. We used data from 4 one-month French registries, conducted 5 years apart from 1995 to 2010 including 3903 NSTEMI patients admitted to intensive care units.

Results: From 1995 to 2010, no major change was observed in patient characteristics, while therapeutic management evolved considerably. Early use of antiplatelet agents, β-blockers, ACE-inhibitors and statins increased over time (P < 0.001); use of newer anticoagulants (low-molecular-weight heparin, bivalirudin or fondaparinux) increased from 40.8% in 2000 to 78.9% in 2010 (P < 0.001); percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)≤ 3 days of admission rose from 7.6% to 48.1% (P < 0.001). One-year death decreased from 20% to 9.8% (HR adjusted for baseline parameters, 2010 vs. 1995 = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.35-0.62). Early PCI (HR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49-0.90), use of newer anticoagulants (HR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.48-0.78) and early use of evidence based medical therapy (HR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.40-0.72) were predictors of improved one year-survival.

Conclusions: One-year mortality of NSTEMI patients decreased by 50% in the past 15years. Our data support current guidelines recommending early invasive strategies and use of newer anticoagulants for NSTEMI, and also show a strong positive association between early use of appropriate medical therapies and one-year survival, suggesting that these medications should be used from the start.