Long-term survival of patients with acute myocardial infarction

Over the past decade, percutaneous coronary intervention and medication have decreased mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Despite this progress, AMI is still the main cause of mortality both globally, and in Serbia. Social-demographic characteristics and co-morbidities of patients are linked to increased risk from death and repeat AMI. This paper analyses the long-term survival of patients with AMI depending on their risk factors, clinical characteristics and lifestyle. This study looked at the survival of 135 patients who had suffered AMI and were first hospitalized at the Emergency Centre of the University Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade, in its coronary unit, in the period 2002-2006. Their survival was tracked until 1 September 2011, and continued to 1 January 2020 by phone, to ascertain whether the patients were still living or had passed away. The data on patient characteristics were collected using a questionnaire. The results were analysed using the ch2 test, Kaplan-Meier curve and multivariate Cox regression model. During the average follow-up period of 164 months, 60 patients (48.0%) had passed away. Patients who survived were statistically significantly younger, their frequency of diabetes mellitus (DM) was statistically significantly lower and they were statistically significantly less likely to have lived alone. According to the results of the multivariate Cox regression model, the independent predictors of long-term all-cause mortality after an AMI were: living alone, DM in personal medical history and older age. Adequate measures of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, as well as social support, may have an effect on the length of patient survival following an AMI.