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Objectives To evaluate community-specific nursing home performance with community-specific hospital 30-day readmissions for Medicare patients discharged with acute myocardial infarction, heart failure or pneumonia. Design Cross-sectional study using 2009-2012 hospital risk-standardised 30-day readmission data for Medicare fee-for-service patients hospitalised for all three conditions and nursing home performance data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Five-Star Quality Rating System. Setting Medicare-certified nursing homes and acute care hospitals. Participants 12,542 nursing homes and 3,039 hospitals treating 30 or more Medicare fee-for-service patients for all three conditions across 2,032 hospital service areas in the United States. Measurements Community-specific hospital 30-day risk-standardised readmission rates. Community-specific nursing home performance measures: health inspection, staffing, Registered Nurses and quality performance; and an aggregated performance score. Mixed-effects models evaluated associations between nursing home performance and hospital 30-day risk-standardised readmission rates for all three conditions. Results The relationship between community-specific hospital risk-standardised readmission rates and community-specific overall nursing home performance was statistically significant for all three conditions. Increasing nursing home performance by one star resulted in decreases of 0.29% point (95% CI: 0.12-0.47), 0.78% point (95% CI: 0.60-0.95) and 0.46% point (95% CI: 0.33-0.59) of risk-standardised readmission rates for AMI, HF and pneumonia, respectively. Among the specific measures, higher performance in nursing home overall staffing and Registered Nurse staffing measures was statistically significantly associated with lower hospital readmission rates for all three conditions. Notable geographic variation in the community-specific nursing home performance was observed. Conclusion Community-specific nursing home performance is associated with community-specific hospital 30-day readmission rates for Medicare fee-for-service patients for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure or pneumonia. Implications for practice Coordinated care between hospitals and nursing homes is essential to reduce readmissions. Nursing homes can improve performance and reduce readmissions by increasing registered nursing homes. Further, communities can work together to create cross-continuum care teams comprised of hospitals, nursing homes, patients and their families, and other community-based service providers to reduce unplanned readmissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting are the leading approaches to revascularization for carotid stenosis, yet contemporary data on trends in rates and outcomes are limited.Objective: To describe US national trends in performance and outcomes of carotid endarterectomy and stenting among Medicare beneficiaries from 1999 to 2014.Design, Setting, and Participants: Serial cross-sectional analysis of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 years or older from 1999 to 2014 using the Medicare Inpatient and Denominator files. Spatial mixed models adjusted for age, sex, and race were fit to calculate county-specific risk-standardized revascularization rates. Mixed models were fit to assess trends in outcomes after adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, and symptomatic status.Exposures: Carotid endarterectomy and carotid artery stenting.Main Outcomes and Measures: Revascularization rates per 100 000 beneficiary-years of fee-for-service enrollment, in-hospital mortality, 30-day stroke or death, 30-day stroke, myocardial infarction, or death, 30-day all-cause mortality, and 1-year stroke.Results: During the study, 937 111 unique patients underwent carotid endarterectomy (mean age, 75.8 years; 43% women) and 231 077 underwent carotid artery stenting (mean age, 75.4 years; 49% women). There were 81 306 patients who underwent endarterectomy in 1999 and 36 325 in 2014; national rates per 100 000 beneficiary-years decreased from 298 in 1999-2000 to 128 in 2013-2014 (P < .001). The number of patients who underwent stenting ranged from 10 416 in 1999 to 22 865 in 2006 (an increase per 100 000 beneficiary-years from 40 in 1999-2000 to 75 in 2005-2006; P < .001); by 2014, there were 10 208 patients who underwent stenting and the rate decreased to 38 per 100 000 beneficiary-years (P < .001). Outcomes improved over time despite increases in vascular risk factors (eg, hypertension prevalence increased from 67% to 81% among patients who underwent endarterectomy and from 61% to 70% among patients who underwent stenting) and the proportion of symptomatic patients (all P < .001). There were adjusted annual decreases in 30-day ischemic stroke or death of 2.90% (95% CI, 2.63% to 3.18%) among patients who underwent endarterectomy and 1.13% (95% CI, 0.71% to 1.54%) among patients who underwent stenting; an absolute decrease from 1999 to 2014 was observed for endarterectomy (1.4%; 95% CI, 1.2% to 1.5%) but not stenting (-0.1%; 95% CI, -0.5% to 0.4%). Rates for 1-year ischemic stroke decreased after endarterectomy (absolute decrease, 3.5% [95% CI, 3.2% to 3.7%]; adjusted annual decrease, 2.17% [95% CI, 2.00% to 2.34%]) and stenting (absolute decrease, 1.6% [95% CI, 1.2% to 2.1%]; adjusted annual decrease, 1.86% [95% CI, 1.45%-2.26%]). Additional improvements were noted for in-hospital mortality, 30-day stroke, myocardial infarction, or death, and 30-day all-cause mortality as well as within demographic subgroups.Conclusions and Relevance: Among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries, the performance of carotid endarterectomy declined from 1999 to 2014, whereas the performance of carotid artery stenting increased until 2006 and then declined from 2007 to 2014. Outcomes improved despite increases in vascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To evaluate national trends and geographic variation in the availability of home health care from 2002 to 2015 and identify county-specific characteristics associated with home health care. Design Observational study. Setting All counties in the United States. Participants All Medicare-certified home health agencies included in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Home Health Compare system. Measurements County-specific availability of home health care, defined as the number of available home health agencies that provided services to a given county per 100,000 population aged ≥18 years. Results The study included 15,184 Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 97% of U.S. ZIP codes. Between 2002-2003 and 2014-2015, the county-specific number of available home health agencies per 100,000 population aged ≥18 years increased from 14.7 to 21.8 and the median (inter-quartile range) population that was serviced by at least one home health agency increased from 403,605 (890,329) to 455,488 (1,039,328). Considerable geographic variation in the availability of home health care was observed. The West, North East, and South Atlantic regions had lower home health care availability than the Central regions, and this pattern persisted over the study period. Counties with higher median income, a larger senior population, higher rates of households without a car and low access to stores, more obesity, greater inactivity, and higher proportions of non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic populations were more likely to have higher availability of home health care. Conclusion The availability of home health care increased nationwide during the study period, but there was much geographic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Young women (≤55 years of age) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have higher mortality risk than similarly aged men. Elevated inflammatory markers are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular outcomes after AMI, but little is known about whether young women have higher inflammatory levels after AMI compared with young men.Methods and Results: We assessed sex differences in post-AMI inflammatory markers and whether such differences account for sex differences in 12-month health status, using data from 2219 adults with AMI, 18 to 55 years of age, in the United States. Inflammatory markers including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 were measured 1 month after AMI. Overall, women had higher levels of hsCRP and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 after AMI compared with men, and this remained statistically significant after multivariable adjustment. Regression analyses showed that elevated 1-month hsCRP was associated with poor health status (symptom, function, and quality of life) at 12 months. However, the association between hsCRP and health status became nonsignificant after adjustment for sociodemographics, comorbidities, and treatment factors. Half of these patients had residual inflammatory risk (hsCRP >3 mg/L) compared with a third who had residual cholesterol risk (Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >100 mg/dL).Conclusions: Young women with AMI had higher inflammatory levels compared with young men. Elevated 1-month hsCRP was associated with poor health status at 12 months after AMI, but this was attenuated after adjustment for patient characteristics. Targeted anti-inflammatory treatments are worthy of consideration for secondary prevention in these patients if ongoing trials of anti-inflammatory therapy prove effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Of the 795,000 strokes occurring in the USA each year, over 20% are recurrent events. Little is known about how the rates of recurrent stroke in the country have changed over time. Our objective was to determine national trends in 1-year recurrent ischemic stroke rates by US county among the elderly from 1994 to 2002. Methods: One-year recurrent stroke rates following incident ischemic stroke (ICD-9 433, 434, 436) among all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries were determined by US county for 1994-1996, 1997-1999, and 2000-2002. Bayesian spatiotemporal Poisson modeling was used to determine county-specific trends in recurrent stroke rates over time with risk adjustment for demographics, medical history and comorbid conditions. Results: The analysis included more than 2.5 million beneficiaries (56% women; mean age: 78 years; 87% white; n = 957,933 for 1994-1996; n = 838,330 for 1996-1999; n = 895,916 for 2000-2002) aggregated to all 3,118 US counties. After adjustment for changing patient demographics and comorbidities, there was a 4.5% decrease in recurrent stroke rates from 1994-1996 (13.2%) to 2000-2002 (12.6%; p for trend <0.0001). The geographic and temporal patterns were not uniform; the recurrent stroke rates decreased within sections of the Southeast (the 'stroke belt'), but increased in counties in the middle and western sections of the USA. Conclusions: The overall recurrent ischemic stroke rates declined by almost 5% from 1994 to 2002, but temporal patterns varied markedly by region. Additional research is needed to identify the reasons for this geographic disparity. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which described the temporal changes in length of stay, discharge disposition, and short-term outcomes among older U.S. patients hospitalized for heart failure. The observational study examined 6,955,461 Medicare fee-for-service hospitalizations for heart failure between 1993 and 2006. The researchers found that the mean length of stay decreased from 8.81 days to 6.33 days between 1993 and 2006. The importance of examining an episode of acute care during a standardized period of assessment is also highlighted by the study.

Background: Prior studies have associated low social support (SS) with increased rehospitalization and mortality after acute myocardial infarction. However, relatively little is known about whether similar patterns exist for other outcomes, such as health status and depressive symptoms, and whether these patterns vary by sex.Methods and Results: Using data from 2411 English- or Spanish-speaking patients with acute myocardial infarction enrolled in a 19-center prospective study, we examined the association of SS (low, moderate, high) with health status (angina, disease-specific quality of life, general physical and mental functioning) and depressive symptoms over the first year of recovery. Overall and sex-stratified associations were evaluated using mixed-effects Poisson and linear regression, adjusting for site, baseline health status, baseline depressive symptoms, and demographic and clinical factors. Patients with the lowest SS (relative to those with the highest) had increased risk of angina (relative risk, 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10, 1.48); lower disease-specific quality of life (mean difference [beta]=-3.33; 95% CI, -5.25, -1.41), lower mental functioning (beta=-1.72; 95% CI, -2.65, -0.79), and more depressive symptoms (beta=0.94; 95% CI, 0.51, 1.38). A nonsignificant trend toward lower physical functioning (beta=-0.87; 95% CI, -1.95, 0.20) was observed. In sex-stratified analyses, the relationship between SS and outcomes was stronger for women than for men, with a significant SS-by-sex interaction for disease-specific quality of life, physical functioning, and depressive symptoms (all P<0.02).Conclusions: Lower SS is associated with worse health status and more depressive symptoms over the first year of acute myocardial infarction recovery, particularly for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Relatively little is known about trends in the utilization or outcomes of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in the very elderly. We determined trends in the rates of CEA and perioperative (in-hospital and 30-day) and long-term (1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year) mortality in a US national sample of patients ≥80 years of age. Methods: All fee-for-service Medicare patients (80–89 and ≥90 years of age) who had a CEA [ICD-9-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification): 38.12] from 1993 to 1999 were identified using the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Inpatient Standard Analytic Files. Demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions were determined using ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes within the year prior to the index hospitalization for CEA. Results: A total of 140,376 CEA were performed in patients aged 80–89 years and 6,446 in those aged ≥90 years during this 7-year period. The annual number of operations increased from 13,115 in 1993 to 21,582 in 1999 for octogenarians, and from 481 in 1993 to 1,257 in 1999 for nonagenarians. Perioperative mortality was 2.2% in octogenarians and 3.3% in nonagenarians. Long-term mortality increased by approximately 10% per year after the operation, and was 43% in octogenarians and 56% in nonagenarians at 5 years. Perioperative mortality rates remained relatively stable over the 7-year period for both age groups although comorbidities increased. Conclusions: The number of CEA performed in the very elderly in the USA increased from 1993 to 1999. Perioperative mortality rates were high compared with trial results, while long-term survivorship was comparable to that of similarly-aged peers in the USA. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on an observational study which estimated hospital-level 30-day risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) for patients discharged with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Administrative data and a validated risk model were used to evaluate 3,195,672 discharges in 2,755,370 patients discharged from nonfederal acute care hospitals in the U.S. between January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2006. A significant decrease was observed in the risk-standardized hospital mortality rate for Medicare patients discharged with AMI, as well as between-hospital variation.

Background and Purpose: Differences in the management of women and men with acute coronary symptoms are well documented, but relatively little is known about practices for patients with ischemic stroke. We sought to determine whether there are sex-associated differences in the utilization of diagnostic tests for ischemic stroke patients treated at academic hospitals in the United States. Methods: Medical records were abstracted for consecutive ischemic stroke patients admitted to 32 US academic medical centers from January through June, 2004, as part of the University HealthSystem Consortium Ischemic Stroke Benchmarking Project. We compared the utilization rates of diagnostic tests including neuroimaging (CT or MRI), electrocardiogram (ECG), ultrasound of the carotid arteries, and echocardiography (transthoracic or transesophageal) for women and men. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test for sex differences with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: The study included 1,256 ischemic stroke patients (611 women; 645 men; mean age 66.6 ± 14.6 years; 56% white). There were no differences between women and men in the use of neuroimaging (odds ratio, OR = 1.37; 95% confidence interval, CI = 0.58–3.24), ECG (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.70–1.44), carotid artery ultrasound (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.72–1.21) or echocardiography (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.70–1.22). The results were similar after covariate adjustment. Conclusions: Women and men admitted to US academic hospitals receive comparable diagnostic evaluations, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that examines whether hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report have a lower mortality rate in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) than nonranked hospitals. On average, admission to a ranked hospital for AMI was tied with a lower risk of 30-day mortality. However, one third of the ranked hospitals fell outside the best performing quartile based on risk-standardized, 30-day mortality rates

Background: The relative prevalence and clinical importance of monogenic mutations related to familial hypercholesterolemia and of high polygenic score (cumulative impact of many common variants) pathways for early-onset myocardial infarction remain uncertain. Whole-genome sequencing enables simultaneous ascertainment of both monogenic mutations and polygenic score for each individual.Methods: We performed deep-coverage whole-genome sequencing of 2081 patients from 4 racial subgroups hospitalized in the United States with early-onset myocardial infarction (age ≤55 years) recruited with a 2:1 female-to-male enrollment design. We compared these genomes with those of 3761 population-based control subjects. We first identified individuals with a rare, monogenic mutation related to familial hypercholesterolemia. Second, we calculated a recently developed polygenic score of 6.6 million common DNA variants to quantify the cumulative susceptibility conferred by common variants. We defined high polygenic score as the top 5% of the control distribution because this cutoff has previously been shown to confer similar risk to that of familial hypercholesterolemia mutations.Results: The mean age of the 2081 patients presenting with early-onset myocardial infarction was 48 years, and 66% were female. A familial hypercholesterolemia mutation was present in 36 of these patients (1.7%) and was associated with a 3.8-fold (95% CI, 2.1-6.8; P<0.001) increased odds of myocardial infarction. Of the patients with early-onset myocardial infarction, 359 (17.3%) carried a high polygenic score, associated with a 3.7-fold (95% CI, 3.1-4.6; P<0.001) increased odds. Mean estimated untreated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 206 mg/dL in those with a familial hypercholesterolemia mutation, 132 mg/dL in those with high polygenic score, and 122 mg/dL in those in the remainder of the population. Although associated with increased risk in all racial groups, high polygenic score demonstrated the strongest association in white participants ( P for heterogeneity=0.008).Conclusions: Both familial hypercholesterolemia mutations and high polygenic score are associated with a >3-fold increased odds of early-onset myocardial infarction. However, high polygenic score has a 10-fold higher prevalence among patients presents with early-onset myocardial infarction.Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00597922. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Differences between sexes in cardiac risk factors, perceptions of cardiac risk, and health care provider discussions about risk among young patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are not well studied.Objectives: This study compared cardiac risk factor prevalence, risk perceptions, and health care provider feedback on heart disease and risk modification between young women and men hospitalized with AMI.Methods: We studied 3,501 AMI patients age 18 to 55 years enrolled in the VIRGO (Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients) study in U.S. and Spanish hospitals between August 2008 and January 2012, comparing the prevalence of 5 cardiac risk factors by sex. Modified Poisson regression was used to assess sex differences in self-perceived heart disease risk and self-reported provider discussions of risk and modification.Results: Nearly all patients (98%) had ≥1 risk factor, and 64% had ≥3. Only 53% of patients considered themselves at risk for heart disease, and even fewer reported being told they were at risk (46%) or that their health care provider had discussed heart disease and risk modification (49%). Women were less likely than men to be told they were at risk (relative risk: 0.89; 95% confidence interval: 0.84 to 0.96) or to have a provider discuss risk modification (relative risk: 0.84; 95% confidence interval: 0.79 to 0.89). There was no difference between women and men for self-perceived risk.Conclusions: Despite having significant cardiac risk factors, only one-half of young AMI patients believed they were at risk for heart disease before their event. Even fewer discussed their risks or risk modification with their health care providers; this issue was more pronounced among women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The association between hospital volume and the death rate for patients who are hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia remains unclear. It is also not known whether a volume threshold for such an association exists. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from Medicare administrative claims for all fee-for-service beneficiaries who were hospitalized between 2004 and 2006 in acute care hospitals in the United States for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia. Using hierarchical logistic-regression models for each condition, we estimated the change in the odds of death within 30 days associated with an increase of 100 patients in the annual hospital volume. Analyses were adjusted for patients' risk factors and hospital characteristics. Bootstrapping procedures were used to estimate 95% confidence intervals to identify the condition-specific volume thresholds above which an increased volume was not associated with reduced mortality. Results: There were 734,972 hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction in 4128 hospitals, 1,324,287 for heart failure in 4679 hospitals, and 1,418,252 for pneumonia in 4673 hospitals. An increased hospital volume was associated with reduced 30-day mortality for all conditions (P<0.001 for all comparisons). For each condition, the association between volume and outcome was attenuated as the hospital's volume increased. For acute myocardial infarction, once the annual volume reached 610 patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 539 to 679), an increase in the hospital volume by 100 patients was no longer significantly associated with reduced odds of death. The volume threshold was 500 patients (95% CI, 433 to 566) for heart failure and 210 patients (95% CI, 142 to 284) for pneumonia. Conclusions: Admission to higher-volume hospitals was associated with a reduction in mortality for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia, although there was a volume threshold above which an increased condition-specific hospital volume was no longer significantly associated with reduced mortality. N Engl J Med 2010;362:1110-8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural U.S. communities face major challenges in ensuring the availability of high-quality health care. We examined whether hospital-specific, all-cause, thirty-day risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) following acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia varied by hospitals' geographic remoteness. We analyzed 2001-2003 Medicare administrative data, comparing RSMRs among hospitals located in urban, large rural, small rural, or remote small rural regions. We found only small mortality differences across remoteness regions for hospitalizations for the three conditions. We examine the implications of these findings for the millions of Americans who rely upon rural hospitals for their care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety-net hospitals are experiencing increasing financial strains, possibly affecting their quality of care. We compare quality at safety-net and non-safety-net urban hospitals for Medicare beneficiaries admitted with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although safety-net hospitals had modestly higher risk-standardized thirty-day all-cause mortality rates and modestly lower adherence to quality-of-care performance measures than non-safety-net hospitals, there was much heterogeneity among safety-net hospitals and substantial overlap with non-safety-net hospitals. We examine the implications of these findings for the millions of vulnerable Americans who rely on safety-net hospitals for their care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Lack of knowledge about longer-term outcomes remains a critical blind spot for trauma systems. Recent efforts have expanded trauma quality evaluation to include a broader array of postdischarge quality metrics. It remains unknown how such quality metrics should be used., Objective: To examine the utility of implementing recommended postdischarge quality metrics as a composite score and ascertain how composite score performance compares with that of in-hospital mortality for evaluating associations with hospital-level factors., Design, Setting, and Participants: This national hospital-level quality assessment evaluated hospital-level care quality using 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims of older adults (aged ≥65 years) hospitalized with primary diagnoses of trauma, hip fracture, and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2015. Hospitals with annual volumes encompassing 10 or more of each diagnosis were included. The data analysis was performed between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022., Exposures: Reliability-adjusted quality metrics used to calculate composite scores included hospital-specific performance on mortality, readmission, and patients' average number of healthy days at home (HDAH) within 30, 90, and 365 days among older adults hospitalized with all forms of trauma, hip fracture, and severe TBI., Main Outcomes and Measures: Associations with hospital-level factors were compared using volume-weighted multivariable logistic regression., Results: A total of 573 554 older adults (mean [SD] age, 83.1 [8.3] years; 64.8% female; 35.2% male) from 1234 hospitals were included. All 27 reliability-adjusted postdischarge quality metrics significantly contributed to the composite score. The most important drivers were 30- and 90-day readmission, patients' average number of HDAH within 365 days, and 365-day mortality among all trauma patients. Associations with hospital-level factors revealed predominantly anticipated trends when older adult trauma quality was evaluated using composite scores (eg, worst performance was associated with decreased older adult trauma volume [odds ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.88-0.90]). Results for in-hospital mortality showed inverted associations for each considered hospital-level factor and suggested that compared with nontrauma centers, level 1 trauma centers had a 17 times higher risk-adjusted odds of worst (highest quantile) vs best (lowest quintile) performance (odds ratio, 17.08; 95% CI, 16.17-18.05)., Conclusions and Relevance: The study results challenge historical notions about the adequacy of in-hospital mortality as the single measure of older adult trauma quality and suggest that, when it comes to older adults, decisions about how quality is evaluated can profoundly alter understandings of what constitutes best practices for care. Composite scores appear to offer a promising means by which postdischarge quality metrics could be used.

Background: Medicaid serves as a safety net for low-income US Medicare beneficiaries with limited assets. Approximately 7.7 million Americans aged ≥65 years rely on a combination of Medicare and Medicaid to obtain critical medical services, yet little is known about whether these patients have worse outcomes after stroke than patients with Medicare alone. We compared geographic patterns in dual Medicare-Medicaid eligibility and ischemic stroke hospitalizations and examined whether these dual-eligible beneficiaries had worse post-stroke outcomes than those with Medicare alone., Methods: We identified fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years who were discharged from US acute-care hospitals with a principal diagnosis of ischemic stroke in 2014. Medicare beneficiaries with ≥1 month of Medicaid coverage were considered dual eligible. We mapped risk-standardized stroke hospitalization rates and percentages of beneficiaries with dual eligibility. Mixed models and Cox regression were used to evaluate relationships between dual-eligible status and outcomes up to 1 year after stroke, adjusting for demographic and clinical factors., Results: At the national level, 12.5% of beneficiaries were dual eligible. Dual-eligible rates were highest in Maine, Alaska, and the southern half of the United States, whereas stroke hospitalization rates were highest in the South and parts of the Midwest (Pearson's r = 0.469, p<0.001). Among 254,902 patients hospitalized for stroke, 17.4% were dual eligible. In adjusted analyses, dual-eligible patients had greater risk of all-cause readmission within 30 days (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.09) and 1 year (hazard ratio 1.03, 95% CI 1.02-1.05) and had greater odds of death within 1 year (odds ratio 1.20, 95% CI 1.17-1.23) when compared with Medicare-only patients; there was no difference in in-hospital or 30-day mortality., Conclusion: Dual-eligible stroke patients had higher readmissions and long-term mortality than other patients, even after comorbidity adjustment. A better understanding of the factors contributing to these poorer outcomes is needed., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Leifheit et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Whether stroke patients treated at hospitals with better short-term outcome metrics have better long-term outcomes is unknown. We investigated whether treatment at US hospitals with better 30-day hospital-level stroke outcome metrics was associated with better 1-year outcomes, including reduced mortality and recurrent stroke, for patients after ischemic stroke., Methods: This cohort study included Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged ≥65 years discharged alive from US hospitals with a principal diagnosis of ischemic stroke from 07/01/2015 to 12/31/2018. We categorized patients by the treating hospital's performance on the CMS hospital-specific 30-day risk-standardized all-cause mortality and readmission measures for ischemic stroke from 07/01/2012 to 06/30/2015: Low-Low (both CMS mortality and readmission rates for the hospital were <25th percentile of national rates), High-High (both >75th percentile), and Intermediate (all other hospitals). We balanced characteristics between hospital performance categories using stabilized inverse probability weights (IPW) based on patient demographic and clinical factors. We fit Cox models assessing patient risks of 1-year all-cause mortality and ischemic stroke recurrence across hospital performance categories, weighted by the IPW and accounting for competing risks., Results: There were 595,929 stroke patients (mean age 78.9±8.8 years, 54.4% women) discharged from 2,563 hospitals (134 Low-Low, 2288 Intermediate, 141 High-High). For Low-Low, Intermediate, and High-High hospitals, respectively, 1-year mortality rates were 23.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 23.3%-24.3%), 25.2% (25.1%-25.3%), and 26.5% (26.1%-26.9%), and recurrence rates were 8.0% (7.6%-8.3%), 7.9% (7.8%-8.0%), and 8.0% (7.7%-8.3%). Compared with patients treated at High-High hospitals, those treated at Low-Low and Intermediate hospitals, respectively, had 15% (hazard ratio 0.85; 95% CI 0.82-0.87) and 9% (0.91; 0.89-0.93) lower risks of 1-year mortality but no difference in recurrence., Conclusions: Ischemic stroke patients treated at hospitals with better CMS short-term outcome metrics had lower risks of post-discharge 1-year mortality, but similar recurrent stroke rates, compared with patients treated at other hospitals., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: To identify the distributions of and extent of variability among 3 new sets of postdischarge quality-metrics measured within 30/90/365 days designed to better account for the unique health needs of older trauma patients: mortality (expansion of the current in-hospital standard), readmission (marker of health-system performance and care coordination), and patients' average number of healthy days at home (marker of patient functional status)., Background: Traumatic injuries are a leading cause of death and loss of independence for the increasing number of older adults living in the United States. Ongoing efforts seek to expand quality evaluation for this population., Methods: Using 100% Medicare claims, we calculated hospital-specific reliability-adjusted postdischarge quality-metrics for older adults aged 65 years or older admitted with a primary diagnosis of trauma, older adults with hip fracture, and older adults with severe traumatic brain injury. Distributions for each quality-metric within each population were assessed and compared with results for in-hospital mortality, the current benchmarking standard., Results: A total of 785,867 index admissions (305,186 hip fracture and 92,331 severe traumatic brain injury) from 3692 hospitals were included. Within each population, use of postdischarge quality-metrics yielded a broader range of outcomes compared with reliance on in-hospital mortality alone. None of the postdischarge quality-metrics consistently correlated with in-hospital mortality, including death within 1 year [ r =0.581 (95% CI, 0.554-0.608)]. Differences in quintile-rank revealed that when accounting for readmissions (8.4%, κ=0.029) and patients' average number of healthy days at home (7.1%, κ=0.020), as many as 1 in 14 hospitals changed from the best/worst performance under in-hospital mortality to the completely opposite quintile rank., Conclusions: The use of new postdischarge quality-metrics provides a more complete picture of older adult trauma care: 1 with greater room for improvement and better reflection of multiple aspects of quality important to the health and recovery of older trauma patients when compared with reliance on quality benchmarking based on in-hospital mortality alone., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Long-term exposure to air pollutants is associated with increased stroke incidence, morbidity, and mortality; however, research on the association of pollutant exposure with poststroke hospital readmissions is lacking., Methods: We assessed associations between average annual carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), ozone (O 3 ), particulate matter 2.5, and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) exposure and 30-day all-cause hospital readmission in US fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries age ≥65 years hospitalized for ischemic stroke in 2014 to 2015. We fit Cox models to assess 30-day readmissions as a function of these pollutants, adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics and ambient temperature. Analyses were then stratified by treating hospital performance on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services risk-standardized 30-day poststroke all-cause readmission measure to determine if the results were independent of performance: low (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rate for hospital <25th percentile of national rate), high (>75th percentile), and intermediate (all others)., Results: Of 448 148 patients with stroke, 12.5% were readmitted within 30 days. Except for tropospheric NO 2 (no national standard), average 2-year CO, O 3 , particulate matter 2.5, and SO 2 values were below national limits. Each one SD increase in average annual CO, NO 2 , particulate matter 2.5, and SO 2 exposure was associated with an adjusted 1.1% (95% CI, 0.4-1.9%), 3.6% (95% CI, 2.9%-4.4%), 1.2% (95% CI, 0.2%-2.3%), and 2.0% (95% CI, 1.1%-3.0%) increased risk of 30-day readmission, respectively, and O 3 with a 0.7% (95% CI, 0.0%-1.5%) decrease. Associations between long-term air pollutant exposure and increased readmissions persisted across hospital performance categories., Conclusions: Long-term air pollutant exposure below national limits was associated with increased 30-day readmissions after stroke, regardless of hospital performance category. Whether air quality improvements lead to reductions in poststroke readmissions requires further research.

Background: There have been important advances in secondary stroke prevention and a focus on healthcare delivery over the past decades. Yet, data on US trends in recurrent stroke are limited. We examined national and regional patterns in 1-year recurrence among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for ischemic stroke from 2001 to 2017., Methods: This cohort study included all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years who were discharged alive with a principal diagnosis of ischemic stroke from 2001 to 2017. Follow-up was up to 1 year through 2018. Cox models were used to assess temporal trends in 1-year recurrent ischemic stroke, adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. We mapped recurrence rates and identified persistently high-recurrence counties as those with rates in the highest sextile for stroke recurrence in ≥5 of the following periods: 2001-2003, 2004-2006, 2007-2009, 2010-2012, 2013-2015, and 2016-2017., Results: There were 3 638 346 unique beneficiaries discharged with stroke (mean age 79.0±8.1 years, 55.2% women, 85.3% White). The national 1-year recurrent stroke rate decreased from 11.3% in 2001-2003 to 7.6% in 2016-2017 (relative reduction, 33.5% [95% CI, 32.5%-34.5%]). There was a 2.3% (95% CI, 2.2%-2.4%) adjusted annual decrease in recurrence from 2001 to 2017 that included reductions in all age, sex, and race subgroups. County-level recurrence rates ranged from 5.5% to 14.0% in 2001-2003 and from 0.2% to 8.9% in 2016-2017. There were 76 counties, concentrated in the South-Central United States, that had the highest recurrence throughout the study. These counties had populations with a higher proportion of Black residents and uninsured adults, greater wealth inequity, poorer general health, and reduced preventive testing rates as compared with other counties., Conclusions: Recurrent ischemic strokes decreased over time overall and across demographic subgroups; however, there were geographic areas with persistently higher recurrence rates. These findings can inform secondary prevention intervention opportunities for high-risk populations and communities.

Objective: Ongoing health care reforms within the US Military Health System (MHS) are expected to shift >1.9 million MHS beneficiaries from military treatment facilities (MTFs) into local civilian hospitals over the next 1-2 years. The objective of this study was to examine how such health care reforms are likely to affect the quality of MHS care., Data Sources: Adult MHS beneficiaries, aged 18-64 years, treated in MTFs (under a program known as Direct Care) were compared against (1) MHS beneficiaries treated in locally available civilian hospitals (under a program known as Purchased Care) and (2) similarly-aged adult civilian patients across the United States. MHS beneficiaries in Direct and Purchased Care were identified from fiscal-year 2016-2018 MHS inpatient claims. National inpatients were identified in the 2017 Nationwide Readmissions Database., Study Design: Retrospective cohort., Data Collection: Differences in quality were compared using two sets of quality metrics endorsed by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Inpatient Quality Indicators, 19 quality metrics that look at differences in in-hospital mortality, and Patient Safety Indicators, 18 quality metrics that look at differences in in-hospital morbidity and adverse events. Among MHS beneficiaries (Direct and Purchased Care), we further simulated what changes in quality indicators might look like under various proposed scenarios of reduced access to Direct Care., Principal Findings: A total of 502,252 MHS admissions from 37 MTFs and surrounding civilian hospitals were included (326,076 Direct Care, 179,176 Purchased Care). Nationwide, 9.34 million adult admissions from 2453 hospitals were included. On average, MHS beneficiaries treated in MTFs experienced better inpatient quality and improved patient safety compared with MHS beneficiaries treated in locally available civilian hospitals (e.g., summary observed-to-expected ratio for medical mortality: 0.98 vs. 1.03, p < 0.001) and adult patients across the United States (0.98 vs. 1.02, p < 0.001). Simulations of proposed changes resulted in consistently worse outcomes for MHS patients, whether reducing MTF access by 10%, 20%, or 50% nationwide; limiting MTF access to active-duty beneficiaries; or closing MTFs with the worst performance on patient safety (p < 0.001 for overall quality indicators for each)., Conclusions: Reducing access to MTFs could result in significant harm to MHS patients. The results underscore the importance of health-policy planning based on evidence-based evaluation and the need to consider the consequential downstream effects caused by changes in access to care., (© 2021 Health Research and Educational Trust.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate England's Best Practice Tariff (BPT) and consider potential implications for Medicare patients should the US adopt a similar plan., Summary Background Data: Since the beginning of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare has renewed efforts to improve the outcomes of older adults through introduction of an expanding set of alternative-payment models. Among trauma patients, recommended arrangements met with mixed success given concerns about the heterogeneous nature of trauma patients and resulting outcome variation. A novel approach taken for hip fractures in England could offer a viable alternative., Methods: Linear regression, interrupted time-series, difference-in-difference, and counterfactual models of 2000 to 2016 Medicare (US), HES-APC (England) death certificate-linked claims (≥65 years) were used to: track US hip fracture trends, look at changes in English hip fracture trends before-and-after BPT implementation, compare changes in US-versus-English mortality, and estimate total/theoretical lives saved., Results: A total of 806,036 English and 3,221,109 US hospitalizations were included. After BPT implementation, England's 30-day mortality decreased by 2.6 percentage-points (95%CI: 1.7-3.5) from a baseline of 9.9% (relative reduction 26.3%). 90- and 365-day mortality decreased by 5.6 and 5.4 percentage-points. 30/90/365-day readmissions also declined with a concurrent shortening of hospital length-of-stay. From 2000 to 2016, US outcomes were stagnant (P > 0.05), resulting in an inversion of the countries' mortality and >38,000 potential annual US lives saved., Conclusions: Process measure pay-for-performance led to significant improvements in English hip fracture outcomes. As efforts to improve US older adult health continue to increase, there are important lessons to be learned from a successful initiative like the BPT., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The American Heart Association, in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, annually reports on the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors, including core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, diet, and weight) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose control) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The Statistical Update presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral artery disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs)., Methods: The American Heart Association, through its Statistics Committee, continuously monitors and evaluates sources of data on heart disease and stroke in the United States to provide the most current information available in the annual Statistical Update. The 2020 Statistical Update is the product of a full year's worth of effort by dedicated volunteer clinicians and scientists, committed government professionals, and American Heart Association staff members. This year's edition includes data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, metrics to assess and monitor healthy diets, an enhanced focus on social determinants of health, a focus on the global burden of cardiovascular disease, and further evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the American Heart Association's 2020 Impact Goals., Results: Each of the 26 chapters in the Statistical Update focuses on a different topic related to heart disease and stroke statistics., Conclusions: The Statistical Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, healthcare administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions.

Objective: To examine racial/ethnic disparities in 30-day all-cause readmission after stroke., Methods: Thirty-day all-cause readmission was compared by race/ethnicity among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries discharged for ischemic stroke from hospitals in the Florida Stroke Registry from 2010 to 2013. We fit a Cox proportional hazards model that censored for death and adjusted for age, sex, length of stay, discharge home, and comorbidities to assess racial/ethnic differences in readmission., Results: Among 16,952 stroke patients (54% women, 75% white, 8% black, and 15% Hispanic), 30-day all-cause readmission was 15% (17.2% for blacks, 16.7% for Hispanics, 14.4% for whites, and 14.7% for others; P = .003). There was a median of 11 days between discharge and first readmission. In adjusted analyses, there was no significant difference in readmission for blacks (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 0.99-1.33), Hispanics (1.00, .90-1.13), and those of other race/ethnicity (.91, .71-1.16) compared with whites. Nearly 1 in 4 readmissions were attributable to acute cerebrovascular events: 16.6% ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, 1.5% hemorrhagic stroke, and 5.2% cerebral artery interventions. Interventions were more common among whites and those of other race than blacks and Hispanics (P = .029). Readmission due to pneumonia or urinary tract infection was 8.2%., Conclusions: Readmissions attributable to acute cerebrovascular events were common and generally occurred within 2 weeks of hospital discharge. Racial/ethnic disparities were present in readmissions for arterial interventions. Our results underscore the importance of postdischarge transitional care and the need for better secondary prevention strategies after ischemic stroke, particularly among minority populations., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Developing quality metrics to assess hospital-level care and outcomes is increasingly popular in the United States. The U.S. News & World Report ranking of "America's Best Hospitals" is an existing, popular hospital-profiling system, but it is unknown whether top-ranked hospitals in their report have better outcomes according to other hospital quality metrics such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly reported 30-day stroke measures., Methods: The analysis was based on the 2015-2016 U.S. News & World Report ranking of the 50 top-rated hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery and 2012-2014 CMS Hospital Compare Data. We used mixed models adjusted for hospital characteristics and weighted by hospital volume to compare 30-day risk-standardized mortality and readmission between top-ranked and other hospitals. Among the 50 top-ranked hospitals, we determined whether ranking order was associated with the CMS outcomes., Results: Compared with 2737 other hospitals, the 50 top-ranked hospitals had lower 30-day mortality (14.8% versus 15.3%) but higher readmission (14.5% versus 13.3%). These patterns persisted in adjusted analyses with top-ranked hospitals having .72% (95% confidence interval [CI] -1.09%, -.34%) lower mortality and .41% (95% CI .16%, .67%) higher readmission. Among top-ranked hospitals, rank order was not associated with mortality (.05% decrease in mortality with each rank, 95% CI -.10%, .01%) or readmission (.02% increase; 95% CI -.03%, .06%)., Conclusion: Admission to a top-ranked hospital for neurology or neurosurgery was associated with lower 30-day risk-standardized mortality but higher readmission after ischemic stroke. There was heterogeneity in outcomes among the 50 top-ranked hospitals., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background Racial/ethnic disparities in acute stroke care may impact stroke outcomes. We compared outcomes by race/ethnicity among elderly Medicare beneficiaries in hospitals participating in the FL-PR CReSD (Florida-Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities) registry with those in hospitals not participating in any quality improvement programs (non- QI ) in Florida and Puerto Rico (PR). Methods and Results The population included fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries age 65+ in Florida and PR , discharged with primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke ( International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM], codes 433, 434, 436) in 2010-2013. We used mixed logistic models to assess racial/ethnic differences in outcomes (in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year mortality, and 30-day readmission) for CR e SD and non- QI hospitals, adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics. The study included 62 CR e SD hospitals (N=44 013, 84% white, 9% black, 4% Florida Hispanic, 1% PR Hispanic) and 113 non- QI hospitals (N=14 422, 78% white, 7% black, 5% Florida Hispanic, 8% PR Hispanic). For patients treated at CR e SD hospitals, there were no differences in risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality by race/ethnicity; blacks had lower 30-day mortality versus whites (odds ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.97), but higher 30-day readmission (hazard ratio, 1.09; 1.00-1.18) and 1-year mortality (odds ratio, 1.13; 1.04-1.23); Florida Hispanics had lower 30-day readmission (hazard ratio, 0.87; 0.78-0.98). PR Hispanic and black stroke patients treated at non- QI hospitals had higher risk-adjusted in-hospital, 30-day and 1-year mortality, but similar 30-day readmission versus whites treated in non- QI hospitals. Conclusions Disparities in outcomes were less common in CR e SD than non- QI hospitals, suggesting the benefits of quality improvement programs, particularly those focusing on racial/ethnic disparities.

Objective: To determine whether patients who are dual eligible for Medicare and Medicaid benefits have outcomes after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) that are comparable to the outcomes of those eligible for Medicare alone., Methods: The study cohort included fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries ≥65 years of age who underwent CEA ( ICD-9-CM code 38.12) between 2003 and 2010. Beneficiaries with ≥1 month of Medicaid coverage were considered dual eligible. We fit mixed models to assess the relationship between coverage (dual eligible vs Medicare only) and outcomes over time after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics., Results: There were 53,773 dual-eligible and 452,182 Medicare-only beneficiaries hospitalized for CEA. The percentage of dual-eligible patients receiving CEA increased from 10.1% in 2003 to 11.5% in 2010, with no change in geographic distribution across the country. In adjusted analyses, dual-eligible vs Medicare-only beneficiaries had a higher rate of 30-day ischemic stroke or death; higher in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year all-cause mortality; and higher 30-day all-cause readmission. Relative annual reductions in outcomes from 2003 to 2010 ranged from 2% to 5%, but there was no significant interaction between dual-eligible status and time., Conclusions: Dual-eligible beneficiaries had worse outcomes than those eligible for Medicare alone. Additional work is necessary to understand the reasons for this difference., (© 2018 American Academy of Neurology.)

South Asians (from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) make up one quarter of the world's population and are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the United States. Although native South Asians share genetic and cultural risk factors with South Asians abroad, South Asians in the United States can differ in socioeconomic status, education, healthcare behaviors, attitudes, and health insurance, which can affect their risk and the treatment and outcomes of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). South Asians have higher proportional mortality rates from ASCVD compared with other Asian groups and non-Hispanic whites, in contrast to the finding that Asian Americans (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese) aggregated as a group are at lower risk of ASCVD, largely because of the lower risk observed in East Asian populations. Literature relevant to South Asian populations regarding demographics and risk factors, health behaviors, and interventions, including physical activity, diet, medications, and community strategies, is summarized. The evidence to date is that the biology of ASCVD is complex but is no different in South Asians than in any other racial/ethnic group. A majority of the risk in South Asians can be explained by the increased prevalence of known risk factors, especially those related to insulin resistance, and no unique risk factors in this population have been found. This scientific statement focuses on how ASCVD risk factors affect the South Asian population in order to make recommendations for clinical strategies to reduce disease and for directions for future research to reduce ASCVD in this population., Competing Interests: The American Heart Association makes every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest., (© 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Competing Interests: The American Heart Association makes every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest.

Young women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have a worse prognosis than their male counterparts. We searched for differences in the electrocardiographic presentation of men and women in a large, contemporary registry of young adults with AMI that could help explain gender differences in outcomes. The qualifying electrocardiogram was blindly assessed by a central core lab in 3,354 patients (67% women) aged 18 to 55 years included in the Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients study. Compared with men, women did not have a different frequency of sinus rhythm, and they had shorter PR and QRS intervals and longer QTc intervals. Intraventricular conduction disturbances were not different among genders. Notably, women were more likely than men to have abnormal Q waves in anterior leads and a lower frequency of Q waves in other territories. ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) diagnosis was less frequent in women than in men (44.6% vs 55.1%, p < 0.001). Among patients with STEMI, women had less magnitude and extent of ST-segment elevation than men. In patients with non-STEMI, the frequency, magnitude, and extent of ST-segment depression were not different among genders, but women had anterior ST-segment depression less frequently and anterior negative T waves more frequently compared with men. These differences remained statistically significant after adjusting for baseline characteristics. In conclusion, there are significant gender differences in the electrocardiographic presentation of AMI among young patients. Further studies are warranted to evaluate their impact on gender-related differences in the management and outcomes of AMI., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Studies assessing the relationship between meteorological factors and stroke incidence are inconsistent. We assessed the associations of average temperature and diurnal temperature fluctuations with ischemic stroke hospitalizations in a nationally representative sample of patients in the United States., Methods: Hospitalizations were identified for adults aged 18 years or older in the 2009-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample and linked with county-level monthly average temperatures from the United States National Climatic Data Center. Logistic regression models assessed the relationships of 5°F increases in average temperature and diurnal temperature variation (difference between high- and low-daily temperatures) with the odds of ischemic stroke hospitalization (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes 433, 434, and 436), adjusting for patient characteristics and dew point. Models were stratified by age (18-64, ≥65 years), season, and region, with analysis at the hospitalization level., Results: Increased average temperature was associated with decreased odds of stroke hospitalization among both age groups and across seasons in the Northeast, and among the elderly in the West. Increased diurnal temperature variation was associated with increased odds of stroke hospitalization for nearly all regions in the spring to fall seasons; associations were most pronounced in the Northeast and strongest in the spring., Conclusions: Lower average temperature and larger diurnal temperature variations were associated with stroke hospitalizations. Associations were strongest in the Northeast and largely similar across seasons and age. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these associations. Understanding these patterns may lead to targeted prevention strategies for vulnerable populations during periods of extreme weather conditions., (Copyright © 2016 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Depression was recently recognized as a risk factor for adverse medical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The degree to which depression is present among younger patients with an AMI, the patient profile associated with being a young AMI patient with depressive symptoms, and whether relevant sex differences exist are currently unknown., Methods and Results: The Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients (VIRGO) study enrolled 3572 patients with AMI (67.1% women; 2:1 ratio for women to men) between 2008 and 2012 (at 103 hospitals in the United States, 24 in Spain, and 3 in Australia). Information about lifetime history of depression and depressive symptoms experienced over the past 2 weeks (Patient Health Questionnaire; a cutoff score ≥10 was used for depression screening) was collected during index AMI admission. Information on demographics, socioeconomic status, cardiovascular risk, AMI severity, perceived stress (14-item Perceived Stress Scale), and health status (Seattle Angina Questionnaire, EuroQoL 5D) was obtained through interviews and chart abstraction. Nearly half (48%) of the women reported a lifetime history of depression versus 1 in 4 in men (24%; P<0.0001). At the time of admission for AMI, more women than men experienced depressive symptoms (39% versus 22%, P<0.0001; adjusted odds ratio 1.64; 95% CI 1.36 to 1.98). Patients with more depressive symptoms had higher levels of stress and worse quality of life (P<0.001). Depressive symptoms were more prevalent among patients with lower socioeconomic profiles (eg, lower education, uninsured) and with more cardiovascular risk factors (eg, diabetes, smoking)., Conclusions: A high rate of lifetime history of depression and depressive symptoms at the time of an AMI was observed among younger women compared with men. Depressive symptoms affected those with more vulnerable socioeconomic and clinical profiles., (© 2015 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.)

Background: Stroke is a common and important adverse event after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the elderly. It is unclear whether the risk of stroke after AMI has changed with improvements in treatments and outcomes for AMI in the last decade., Methods: To assess trends in risk of stroke after AMI, we used a national sample of Medicare data to identify Fee-for-Service patients (n = 2,305,441) aged ≥65 years who were discharged alive after hospitalization for AMI from 1999 to 2010., Results: We identified 57,848 subsequent hospitalizations for ischemic stroke and 4,412 hospitalizations for hemorrhagic stroke within 1 year after AMI. The 1-year rate of ischemic stroke decreased from 3.4% (95% CI 3.3%-3.4%) to 2.6% (2.5%-2.7%; P < .001). The risk-adjusted annual decline was 3% (hazard ratio, 0.97; [0.97-0.98]) and was similar across all age and sex-race groups. The rate of hemorrhagic stroke remained stable at 0.2% and did not differ by subgroups. The 30-day mortality for patients admitted with ischemic stroke after AMI decreased from 19.9% (18.8%-20.9%) to 18.3% (17.1%-19.6%) and from 48.3% (43.0%-53.6%) to 45.7% (40.3%-51.2%) for those admitted with hemorrhagic stroke. We observed a decrease in 1-year mortality from 37.8% (36.5%-39.1%) to 35.3% (33.8%-36.8%) for ischemic stroke and from 66.6% (61.4%-71.5%) to 60.6% (55.1%-65.9%) for hemorrhagic stroke., Conclusions: From 1999 to 2010, the 1-year risk for ischemic stroke after AMI declined, whereas the risk of hemorrhagic stroke remained unchanged. However, 30-day and 1-year mortality continued to be high., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: United States and European cardiovascular society guidelines recommend physicians counsel patients about resuming sexual activity after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but little is known about patients' experience with counseling about sexual activity after AMI., Methods and Results: The prospective, longitudinal Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients (VIRGO) study, conducted at 127 hospitals in the United States and Spain, was designed, in part, to evaluate gender differences in baseline sexual activity, function, and patient experience with physician counseling about sexual activity after an AMI. This study used baseline and 1-month data collected from the 2:1 sample of women (N=2349) and men (N=1152) ages 18 to 55 years with AMI. Median age was 48 years. Among those who reported discussing sexual activity with a physician in the month after AMI (12% of women, 19% of men), 68% were given restrictions: limit sex (35%), take a more passive role (26%), and/or keep the heart rate down (23%). In risk-adjusted analyses, factors associated with not discussing sexual activity with a physician included female gender (relative risk, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.11), age (relative risk, 1.05 per 10 years; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.08), and sexual inactivity at baseline (relative risk, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.15). Among patients who received counseling, women in Spain were significantly more likely to be given restrictions than U.S. women (relative risk; 1.36, 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.66)., Conclusions: Very few patients reported counseling for sexual activity after AMI. Those who did were commonly given restrictions not supported by evidence or guidelines., Clinical Trial Registration Url: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00597922., (© 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.)

Background: Various national campaigns launched in recent years have focused on young women with acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs). Contemporary longitudinal data about sex differences in clinical characteristics, hospitalization rates, length of stay (LOS), and mortality have not been examined., Objectives: This study sought to determine sex differences in clinical characteristics, hospitalization rates, LOS, and in-hospital mortality by age group and race among young patients with AMIs using a large national dataset of U.S. hospital discharges., Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample, clinical characteristics, AMI hospitalization rates, LOS, and in-hospital mortality were compared for patients with AMI across ages 30 to 54 years, dividing them into 5-year subgroups from 2001 to 2010, using survey data analysis techniques., Results: A total of 230,684 hospitalizations were identified with principal discharge diagnoses of AMI in 30- to 54-year-old patients from Nationwide Inpatient Sample data, representing an estimated 1,129,949 hospitalizations in the United States from 2001 to 2010. No statistically significant declines in AMI hospitalization rates were observed in the age groups <55 years or stratified by sex. Prevalence of comorbidities was higher in women and increased among both sexes through the study period. Women had longer LOS and higher in-hospital mortality than men across all age groups. However, observed in-hospital mortality declined significantly for women from 2001 to 2010 (from 3.3% to 2.3%, relative change 30.5%; p for trend < 0.0001) but not for men (from 2% to 1.8%, relative change 8.6%; p for trend = 0.60)., Conclusions: AMI hospitalization rates for young people have not declined over the past decade. Young women with AMIs have more comorbidity, longer LOS, and higher in-hospital mortality than young men, although their mortality rates are decreasing., (Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of this statement is to summarize data on stroke risk factors that are unique to and more common in women than men and to expand on the data provided in prior stroke guidelines and cardiovascular prevention guidelines for women. This guideline focuses on the risk factors unique to women, such as reproductive factors, and those that are more common in women, including migraine with aura, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and atrial fibrillation., Methods: Writing group members were nominated by the committee chair on the basis of their previous work in relevant topic areas and were approved by the American Heart Association (AHA) Stroke Council's Scientific Statement Oversight Committee and the AHA's Manuscript Oversight Committee. The panel reviewed relevant articles on adults using computerized searches of the medical literature through May 15, 2013. The evidence is organized within the context of the AHA framework and is classified according to the joint AHA/American College of Cardiology and supplementary AHA Stroke Council methods of classifying the level of certainty and the class and level of evidence. The document underwent extensive AHA internal peer review, Stroke Council Leadership review, and Scientific Statements Oversight Committee review before consideration and approval by the AHA Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee., Results: We provide current evidence, research gaps, and recommendations on risk of stroke related to preeclampsia, oral contraceptives, menopause, and hormone replacement, as well as those risk factors more common in women, such as obesity/metabolic syndrome, atrial fibrillation, and migraine with aura., Conclusions: To more accurately reflect the risk of stroke in women across the lifespan, as well as the clear gaps in current risk scores, we believe a female-specific stroke risk score is warranted.

Background: Older women experience higher complication rates and mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) than men, but there is limited evidence about sex-based differences in outcomes among younger patients. We compared rates of complications and inhospital mortality by sex for younger and older PCI patients., Methods: A total of 1,079,751 hospital admissions for PCI were identified in the CathPCI Registry(®) from 2005 to 2008. Complication rates (general, bleeding, bleeding with transfusion, and vascular) and inhospital mortality after PCI were compared by sex and age (<55 and ≥55 years). Analyses were adjusted for demographic and clinical factors and stratified by PCI type (elective, urgent, or emergency)., Results: Overall, 6% of patients experienced complications, and 1% died inhospital. Unadjusted complication rates were higher for women compared with men in both age groups. In risk-adjusted analyses, younger women (odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.33) and older women (1.27, 1.09-1.47) were more likely to experience any complication than similarly aged men. The increased risk persisted across complication categories and PCI type. Within age groups, risk-adjusted mortality was marginally higher for young women (1.19, 1.00-1.41), but not for older women (1.03, 0.97-1.10). In analyses stratified by PCI type, young women had twice the mortality risk after an elective procedure as young men (2.04, 1.15-3.61)., Conclusions: Women, regardless of age, experience more complications after PCI than men; young women are at increased mortality risk after an elective PCI. Identifying strategies to reduce adverse outcomes, particularly for women younger than 55 years, is important., (Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: Stroke mortality has been declining since the early 20th century. The reasons for this are not completely understood, although the decline is welcome. As a result of recent striking and more accelerated decreases in stroke mortality, stroke has fallen from the third to the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. This has prompted a detailed assessment of the factors associated with the change in stroke risk and mortality. This statement considers the evidence for factors that have contributed to the decline and how they can be used in the design of future interventions for this major public health burden., Methods: Writing group members were nominated by the committee chair and co-chair on the basis of their previous work in relevant topic areas and were approved by the American Heart Association Stroke Council's Scientific Statements Oversight Committee and the American Heart Association Manuscript Oversight Committee. The writers used systematic literature reviews, references to published clinical and epidemiological studies, morbidity and mortality reports, clinical and public health guidelines, authoritative statements, personal files, and expert opinion to summarize evidence and to indicate gaps in current knowledge. All members of the writing group had the opportunity to comment on this document and approved the final version. The document underwent extensive American Heart Association internal peer review, Stroke Council leadership review, and Scientific Statements Oversight Committee review before consideration and approval by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee., Results: The decline in stroke mortality over the past decades represents a major improvement in population health and is observed for both sexes and for all racial/ethnic and age groups. In addition to the overall impact on fewer lives lost to stroke, the major decline in stroke mortality seen among people <65 years of age represents a reduction in years of potential life lost. The decline in mortality results from reduced incidence of stroke and lower case-fatality rates. These significant improvements in stroke outcomes are concurrent with cardiovascular risk factor control interventions. Although it is difficult to calculate specific attributable risk estimates, efforts in hypertension control initiated in the 1970s appear to have had the most substantial influence on the accelerated decline in stroke mortality. Although implemented later, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia control and smoking cessation programs, particularly in combination with treatment of hypertension, also appear to have contributed to the decline in stroke mortality. The potential effects of telemedicine and stroke systems of care appear to be strong but have not been in place long enough to indicate their influence on the decline. Other factors had probable effects, but additional studies are needed to determine their contributions., Conclusions: The decline in stroke mortality is real and represents a major public health and clinical medicine success story. The repositioning of stroke from third to fourth leading cause of death is the result of true mortality decline and not an increase in mortality from chronic lung disease, which is now the third leading cause of death in the United States. There is strong evidence that the decline can be attributed to a combination of interventions and programs based on scientific findings and implemented with the purpose of reducing stroke risks, the most likely being improved control of hypertension. Thus, research studies and the application of their findings in developing intervention programs have improved the health of the population. The continued application of aggressive evidence-based public health programs and clinical interventions is expected to result in further declines in stroke mortality.