Myocardial Infarction Quality Measures
According to the US
Preventive Services Task Force, aspirin is recommended to decrease the incidence
(frequency of new cases) of heart disease in adults who have risk factors for
heart disease. Individuals who are at increased risk for bleeding, however,
may not be candidates for aspirin therapy because aspirin thins the blood, further
increasing the risk of bleeding.
The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
Task Force on Practice Guidelines found Class I evidence (highest level of scientific
support) for taking aspirin indefinitely after a heart attack. (Circulation,
September, 2000: 102 (10); 1193-1209).
Evidence for this guideline has existed since the mid
to late 1990s and has been further supported by subsequent research. "Long-term
aspirin therapy confers conclusive net benefits on risk of subsequent MI [myocardial
infarction], stroke, and vascular death among patients with a wide range of
prior manifestations of cardiovascular disease" (Circulation,
October 21, 1997: 96(8); 2751-2753).
Unless otherwise contraindicated, the protocol at
St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center includes prescribing daily aspirin for heart attack survivors
after Hospital discharge.
In
2006,
99 percent of heart attack survivors at St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center received a prescription for daily aspirin after hospital discharge unless otherwise contraindicated.