Table 4.
Characteristics of male VHA and Medicare patients
| VHA | Medicare | |
| Total no. of patients | 27,494 | 789,400 |
| Mean age, yrs (s.d.) | 75.7 (6.4) | 77.1 (7.7) |
| Age 65-69, % | 20.1 | 19.7 |
| Age 70-74, % | 24.6 | 20.9 |
| Age75-79, % | 26.7 | 21.9 |
| Age 80-84, % | 19.6 | 18.9 |
| Age 85-89, % | 7.1 | 12.2 |
| Age 90 plus, % | 1.9 | 6.4 |
| White, % | 69.4 | 89.9 |
| Median income (/$10,000) for ZIP code (s.d.) | 37.1 (13.3) | 42.5 (15.7) |
| Distance to admitting facility | 32.2 (55.6) | 31.7 (61.5) |
| Admission from extended care facility, % | 4.0 | 0.7 |
| Coexisting Conditions, % | ||
| Cardiac Arrhythmia | 22.7 | 31.2 |
| Paralysis | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Neurological Disorder | 4.0 | 5.4 |
| Coagulation Disorder | 2.4 | 3.3 |
| Weight Loss | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Psychosis | 2.1 | 0.9 |
| Renal Failure | 8.6 | 9.2 |
| Chronic Heart failure | 33.3 | 39.9 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 8.3 | 6.7 |
| Chronic obstructive lung disease | 25.7 | 24.4 |
| Liver Disease | 0.8 | 0.5 |
| Depression | 3.2 | 2.0 |
| Diabetes | 37.1 | 27.3 |
| Diabetes with complication | 5.4 | 3.8 |
| Hypertension | 53.8 | 43.4 |
| Location of AMI,% | ||
| Anterior/Lateral | 8.6 | 13.9 |
| Inferior/Posterior | 10.1 | 16.3 |
| Subendocardial | 59.1 | 57.9 |
| Other Site | 22.1 | 11.9 |
| Year of Discharge | ||
| 2000 | 17.9 | 18.8 |
| 2001 | 19.1 | 18.8 |
| 2002 | 18.9 | 18.8 |
| 2003 | 17.8 | 18.3 |
| 2004 | 17.3 | 16.8 |
| 2005 (Through June) | 9.1 | 8.4 |
aged 65 years or older admitted with AMI, June 2000 through June 2005*