Table 3 Clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with acute coronary syndrome who received “direct”, “referred” or “no” cardiologist care.
| Cardiologist care | D + R (n = 140) | None (n = 55) | p Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct (D) (n = 103) | Referred (R) (n = 37) | ||||
| Age, mean years (SD) | 69 (13) | 75 (11) | 71 (13) | 79 (9) | <0.001 |
| Female | 36 (35%) | 15 (41%) | 51 (36%) | 31 (56%) | 0.011 |
| Charlson's comorbidity score median (25; 75th centiles) | 1 (0; 2) | 2 (1; 2.5) | 1 (0; 2) | 3 (1; 4) | <0.001 |
| Comorbid diseases | |||||
| Myocardial infarction | 35 (34%) | 14 (38%) | 49 (35%) | 17 (31%) | NS |
| Congestive cardiac failure | 6 (6%) | 4 (11%) | 10 (7%) | 9 (16%) | 0.051 |
| CVA including hemiplegia | 12 (12%) | 6 (16%) | 18 (13%) | 18 (33%) | 0.001 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 5 (5%) | 6 (16%) | 11 (8%) | 3 (5%) | NS |
| COPD | 21 (20%) | 10 (27%) | 31 (22%) | 12 (22%) | NS |
| Diabetes mellitus ± end organ disease | 17 (17%) | 4 (11%) | 21 (15%) | 15 (27%) | 0.047 |
| Renal disease (moderate or severe) | 2 (2%) | 4 (11%) | 6 (4%) | 4 (7%) | NS |
| Peptic ulcer disease | 3 (3%) | 2 (5%) | 5 (4%) | 2 (4%) | NS |
| Connective tissue disease | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | 1 (1%) | 1 (2%) | NS |
| Liver disease (any grade) | 3 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (2%) | 2 (4%) | NS |
| Dementia | 4 (4%) | 4 (11%) | 8 (6%) | 5 (9%) | NS |
| Any tumour or leukaemia | 0 (0%) | 1 (3%) | 1 (1%) | 10 (18%) | <0.001 |
| Metastatic solid tumour | 1 (1%) | 1 (3%) | 2 (1%) | 5 (9%) | 0.020 |
| Presenting ECG and cardiac markers | |||||
| ST elevation | 36 (35%) | 6 (16%) | 42 (30%) | 3 (5%) | <0.001 |
| ST depression | 24 (23%) | 6 (16%) | 30 (21%) | 22 (40%) | 0.008 |
| Bundle branch block | 7 (7%) | 7 (19%) | 14 (10%) | 5 (9%) | NS |
| Troponin T (μg/l), median | 0.73 | 0.29 | 0.53 | 0.10 | <0.001 |
| Peak CK (iu/l), median | 380 | 228 | 356 | 142 | <0.001 |
| Considered for coronary angiography | 31 (30%) | 14 (38%) | 45 (32%) | 0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| All‐cause mortality | |||||
| In‐hospital | 10 (10%) | 5 (14%) | 15 (11%) | 21 (38%) | <0.001 |
| 6‐month | 16 (16%) | 9 (24%) | 25 (18%) | 31 (56%) | <0.001 |
CK, creatine kinase; COPD; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVA, cerebrovascular accident; ECG, electrocardiogram; NS, non‐significant;
All p values are expressed as direct and referred cardiologist care versus no cardiologist care.