Risk Factors for In-Hospital Mortality from Cardiac Causes After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide 1 and the second leading cause of death in Brazil. 2 Despite continuous efforts by health services with actions to prevent risk factors, promote health and develop technological care, hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains high. 3 Risk stratification upon admission of patients with AMI is considered an effective strategy as it enables early intervention, more effective treatment and, consequently, longer patient survival. 4 In this context, different factors have been proposed as risks for cardiovascular mortality, including advanced age, high Killip class, hyperglycemia, tachycardia, renal dysfunction, atypical chest pain, 5,6 and admission systolic blood pressure (SBP).Studies involving millions of patients with AMI have shown that the mortality rate from cardiovascular causes within one year after AMI was significantly lower among patients with SBP ≤108mmHg 7 or <120mmHg 8,9