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Background: Multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) are common in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We examined the association of 12 MCCs with the risk of a 30-day hospital readmission and/or dying within one year among those discharged from the hospital after an AMI. We also examined the five most prevalent pairs of chronic conditions in this population and their association with the principal study endpoints. Methods: The study population consisted of 3,294 adults hospitalized with a confirmed AMI at the three major medical centers in central Massachusetts on an approximate biennial basis between 2005 and 2015. Patients were categorized as ≤1, 2-3, and ≥4 chronic conditions. Results: The median age of the study population was 67.9 years, 41.6% were women, and 15% had ≤1, 32% had 2-3, and 53% had ≥4 chronic conditions. Patients with ≥4 conditions tended to be older, had a longer hospital stay, and received fewer cardiac interventional procedures. There was an increased risk for being rehospitalized during the subsequent 30 days according to the presence of MCCs, with the highest risk for those with ≥4 conditions. There was an increased, but attenuated, risk for dying during the next year according to the presence of MCCs. Individuals with diabetes/hypertension and those with heart failure/chronic kidney disease were at particularly high risk for developing the principal study outcomes. Conclusion: Development of guidelines that include complex patients, particularly those with MCCs and those at high risk for adverse short/medium term outcomes, remain needed to inform best treatment practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act in the U.S., the Inclusion Across the Lifespan policy eliminates upper-age limits for research participation unless risk justified. Broader inclusion will necessitate the use of reliable instruments in research that characterize the health status and function of older adults with multiple chronic conditions. As there is a plethora of such instruments, the Geriatrics Research Instrument Library (GRIL) was developed as freely available online resource of data collection instruments commonly used in gerontological research. GRIL has been revised and updated by the Advancing Geriatrics Infrastructure and Network Growth (AGING) Initiative, a joint endeavor of the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) and the Older Americans Independence Centers (OAICs). Methods: Extensive PubMed literature searches and domain expert feedback were utilized to inventory and update GRIL through the addition of instruments and compiling of instrument metadata. GRIL is hosted on the National Institute on Aging OAIC Coordinating Center website with a platform utilizing Microsoft Structured Query Language (SQL) and an Adobe ColdFusion application server. Tracking statistics are collected using Google Analytics. Results: Presently, GRIL includes 175 instruments across 18 domains, including instrument metadata such as instrument description, copyright information, completion time estimates, keywords, available translations, and a link and reference to the original manuscript describing the instrument. The GRIL website includes user-friendly features such as mobile platforming and resource links. Conclusions: GRIL provides a user-friendly public resource that facilitates clinical researchers in efficiently selecting appropriate instruments to measure clinical outcomes relevant to older adults across a full range of domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited data exist about relatively recent trends in the magnitude and characteristics of patients who are re-hospitalized after hospital admission for an acute myocardial infarction. This study examined trends in the frequency and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after an initial acute myocardial infarction.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 3116 individuals who were hospitalized for a validated first acute myocardial infarction in 6 study periods between 2003 and 2015 at the 3 major medical centers in central Massachusetts.Results: The median age of our population was 67 years, and 42% were women. The risk of being readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after an initial acute myocardial infarction increased slightly during the most recent study years after controlling for potentially confounding factors. Overall, older adults and patients with previously diagnosed atrial fibrillation, heart failure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease were at higher risk for being readmitted to the hospital than respective comparison groups. For those hospitalized in the most recent study years of 2011/2015, a higher risk of rehospitalization was associated with a previous diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, peripheral vascular disease, the presence of 3 or more chronic conditions, and having developed atrial fibrillation or heart failure during the patient's hospitalization for a first acute myocardial infarction.Conclusions: We identified several groups at higher risk for hospital readmission in whom enhanced surveillance efforts as well as tailored educational and treatment approaches remain needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To examine the individual and combined associations of noncardiac-related conditions and mobility limitation with morbidity and mortality in adults with heart failure (HF).Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a large, diverse group of adults with HF from five U.S. integrated healthcare delivery systems. We characterized patients with respect to the presence of noncardiac conditions (<3 vs ≥3) and/or mobility impairment (defined by the use/nonuse of a wheelchair, cane, or walker), categorizing them into four subgroups. Outcomes included all-cause death and hospitalizations for HF or any cause.Results: Among 114,553 adults diagnosed with HF (mean age: 73 years old, 46% women), compared with <3 noncardiac conditions/no mobility limitation, adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause death among those with <3 noncardiac conditions/mobility limitation, ≥3 noncardiac conditions/no mobility limitation, ≥3 noncardiac conditions/mobility limitation (vs) were 1.40 (95% CI, 1.31-1.51), 1.72 (95% CI, 1.69-1.75), and 1.93 (95% CI, 1.85-2.01), respectively. We did not observe an increased risk of any-cause or HF-related hospitalization related to the presence of mobility limitation among those with a greater burden of noncardiac multimorbidity. Consistent findings regarding mortality were observed within groups defined according to age, gender, and HF type (preserved, reduced, mid-range ejection fraction), with the most prominent impact of mobility limitation in those <65 years of age.Conclusions: There is an additive association of mobility limitation, beyond the burden of noncardiac multimorbidity, on mortality for patients with HF, and especially prominent in younger patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study set out to describe age differences in patient's chief complaint related to a first myocardial infarction and how the "typicality" of patient's acute symptoms relates to extent of prehospital delay.Methods: The medical records of 2586 residents of central Massachusetts hospitalized at 11 greater Worcester medical centers with a first myocardial infarction on a biennial basis between 2001 and 2011 were reviewed.Results: The average age of the study population was 66.4 years, 39.6% were women, 40.2% were diagnosed with a ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and 72.0 % presented with typical symptoms of myocardial infarction, namely acute chest pain or pressure. Patients were categorized into 5 age strata: >55 years (23%), 55-64 years (20%), 65-74 years (19%), 75-84 years (22%), and ≥85 years (16%). The lowest proportion (11%) of atypical symptoms of myocardial infarction was observed in patients <55 years, increasing to 17%, 28%, 40%, and 51% across the respective age groups. The most prevalent chief complaint reported at the time of hospitalization was chest pain, but the proportion of patients reporting this symptom decreased from the youngest (83%) to the oldest patient groups (45%). There was a slightly increased risk of prehospital delay across the different age groups (higher in the oldest old) in those who presented with atypical, rather than typical, symptoms of myocardial infarction.Conclusions: The present results provide insights to the presenting chief complaint of patients hospitalized with a first myocardial infarction according to age and the relation of symptom presentation to patient's care-seeking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To examine the impact of cardiac- and noncardiac-related conditions on the risk of hospital complications and 7- and 30-day rehospitalizations in older adult patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 3863 adults aged 65 years and older hospitalized with AMI in Worcester, Massachusetts, during six annual periods between 2001 and 2011. Individuals were categorized into four groups based on the presence of 11 previously diagnosed cardiac and noncardiac conditions. The median age of the study population was 79 years and 49% were men. Twenty-eight percent of patients had two or less cardiac- and no noncardiacrelated conditions, 21% had two or less cardiac and one or more noncardiac conditions, 20% had three or more cardiac and no noncardiac conditions, and 31% had three or more cardiac and one or more noncardiac conditions. Individuals who presented with one or more noncardiac-related conditions were less likely to have been prescribed evidence-based medications and/or to have undergone coronary revascularization procedures than patients without any noncardiac condition. After multivariable adjustment, individuals with three or more cardiac and one or more noncardiac conditions were at greatest risk for all adverse outcomes. Conclusions: Older patients hospitalized with AMI carry a significant burden of cardiac- and noncardiac-related conditions. Older adults who presented with multiple cardiac and noncardiac conditions experienced the worse short-term outcomes and treatment strategies should be developed to improve their in-hospital and post-discharge care and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As adults live longer, multiple chronic conditions have become more prevalent over the past several decades. We describe the prevalence of, and patient characteristics associated with, cardiac- and non-cardiac-related multimorbidities in patients discharged from the hospital after an acute coronary syndrome.Methods: We studied 2174 patients discharged from the hospital after an acute coronary syndrome at 6 medical centers in Massachusetts and Georgia between April 2011 and May 2013. Hospital medical records yielded clinical information including presence of eight cardiac-related and eight non-cardiac-related morbidities on admission. We assessed multiple psychosocial characteristics during the index hospitalization using standardized in-person instruments.Results: The mean age of the study sample was 61 years, 67% were men, and 81% were non-Hispanic whites. The most common cardiac-related morbidities were hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes (76%, 69%, and 31%, respectively). Arthritis, chronic pulmonary disease, and depression (20%, 18%, and 13%, respectively) were the most common noncardiac morbidities. Patients with ≥4 morbidities (37% of the population) were slightly older and more frequently female than those with 0-1 morbidity; they were also heavier and more likely to be cognitively impaired (26% vs 12%), have symptoms of moderate/severe depression (31% vs 15%), high perceived stress (48% vs 32%), a limited social network (22% vs 15%), low health literacy (42% vs 31%), and low health numeracy (54% vs 42%).Conclusion: Multimorbidity, highly prevalent in patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome, is strongly associated with indices of psychosocial deprivation. This emphasizes the challenge of caring for these patients, which extends well beyond acute coronary syndrome management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To describe decade- long trends (1999-2009) in the rates of not undergoing cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention ( PCI) in individuals aged 65 and older presenting with an ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction ( STEMI) and factors associated with not undergoing these procedures. Design Observational population-based study. Setting Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan area. Participants Individuals aged 65 and older hospitalized for an STEMI in six biennial periods between 1999 and 2009 at 11 central Massachusetts medical centers ( N = 960). Measurements Analyses were conducted to examine the characteristics of people who did not undergo cardiac catheterization overall and stratified into two age strata (65-74, ≥75). Results Between 1999 and 2009, dramatic declines (from 59.4% to 7.5%) were observed in the proportion of older adults who did not undergo cardiac catheterization at all greater Worcester hospitals. These declines were observed in individuals aged 65 to 74 (58.4-6.7%) and in those aged 75 and older (69.4-13.5%). The proportion of individuals not undergoing PCI after undergoing cardiac catheterization decreased from 36.6% in 1999 to 6.5% in 2009. Women, individuals with a prior MI, those with do-not-resuscitate orders, and those with various comorbidities were less likely to have undergone these procedures than comparison groups. Conclusion Older adults who develop an STEMI are increasingly likely to undergo cardiac catheterization and PCI, but several high-risk groups remain less likely to undergo these procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe change in subgroups characterized by patterns of depression, anxiety, and functional impairment; examine treatment effects on subgroup membership; examine effects of sex and age on subgroup membership. Methods: Latent class models were used to meet the first 2 objectives using 79 patients with depression/anxiety. Generalized estimating equations were used to meet the third objective. Results: Three subgroups characterized by different combinations of psychiatric disorders and functioning were identified. Patients who received treatment were more likely to transition to a less impaired subgroup. Conclusions: Unique information about holistic treatment effects can be gained when multiple outcomes are considered simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]