Temporal Trends in the Characteristics, Treatment, and Outcomes of Conservatively Managed Patients With Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome (from the ACSIS Registry 2000 to 2016)

Despite advances in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), a subgroup of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are still managed medically by a conservative approach. We sought to characterize a contemporary, large-scale, real-world cohort of ACS patients treated conservatively via pharmacological management, without PCI. Data was gathered from the ACS Israeli Survey (ACSIS) between 2000 and 2016, encompassing all consecutive patients admitted to cardiology wards with an ACS diagnosis. Included were 3,543 conservatively managed patients with non-ST elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS). Patients with ST elevation MI or those who underwent any coronary revascularization (PCI or bypass surgery) were excluded. Primary endpoints were 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and 1-year mortality. The study cohort was divided to 4 time-periods. Over 2 decades, medically managed NSTE-ACS patients remained of similar age (67 ± 13 years, p = 0.78), but had more atherosclerotic risk-factors and comorbidities. During time, patients were more often referred to diagnostic angiography and treated with statins, ACE-I/ARBs, and P2Y12 inhibitors (p < 0.001 for each). Over time, there were less in-hospital complications such as kidney injury and heart failure. The rate of 30-day MACE decreased (from 20.7% to 10.3%, earliest to latest period, p < 0.001). Compared with the earliest period, the latest period was associated with a reduction in 1-year mortality (14.7% to 11.6%; adjusted HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.90). In conclusion, Over 2 decades, in medically managed NSTE-ACS patients, short term prognosis has significantly improved while 1-year mortality demonstrated improvement only recently, likely due to incremental benefits of medical management.