Heart Attack Mortality Variation Across High Income Countries

Interestingly, the study has found substantial differences in care for heart attack patients across six high income countries despite international agreement on how heart attacks should be treated. The researchers report that there is no healthcare system that seems to be excelling in every aspect of heart attack care. 

Study researchers examined data for patients 66 and older who were admitted to a hospital with a heart attack in six high income countries between 2011 and 2017. The countries include the United States, Canada, England, Netherlands, Israel and Taiwan. 

Researchers chose to look at heart attacks, a common condition with established international diagnostic criteria and consensus about evidence-based treatments that is easy track with widely available data.

While the United States did well with cardiac revascularisation and had low hospital readmission rates, its mortality rate along with Taiwan was higher than other countries. It appears that there is a greater focus on 

technologically advanced new and shiny things and less attention on the mortality rate. 

By comparison, England and the Netherlands report lower mortality but far lower revascularisation rates. Israel appears to be an exception as it is the only country that is reported to perform well across all measures.

It is important to further analyse this data and identify the reasons for this variation as it is still unclear why mortality rates for heart attack patients are higher in the United States and Taiwan. It is due to gaps in wealth? Or high rates of obesity? Or is it because patients are not taking their medications properly? More research is clearly needed. 

Source: University of Texas Medical Branch

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