THURSDAY, March 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction, the incidence of hospital-acquired anemia (HAA) varies considerably across hospitals, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Adam C. Salisbury, M.D., from Saint Luke's Mid-American Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., and colleagues examined the incidence of HAA in a cohort of 17,676 patients with acute myocardial infarction without anemia at admission. Variation in HAA was assessed by calculating the median rate ratios (MRRs) and the median value of the relative risk (RR) for HAA for two patients with identical characteristics presenting to two randomly selected hospitals.
The researchers found that HAA and moderate-to-severe HAA were common (57.5 and 20.1 percent, respectively). There was considerable variation in the incidence of HAA across hospitals, which remained significant after multivariate adjustment (any HAA: MRR, 1.09; moderate-to-severe HAA: MRR, 1.27). After adjustment for patient characteristics, the risk of HAA was associated with teaching status (RR, 0.91 versus non-teaching status) and region (Northeast versus Midwest: RR, 1.10; West versus Midwest: RR, 1.19). Independent associations were seen for teaching status (RR, 0.7 versus nonteaching status) and region (South versus Midwest, RR, 1.3) with moderate-to-severe HAA.
"In conclusion, we observed significant variability in the incidence of HAA across hospitals and found a lower risk of HAA at teaching centers, suggesting that qualitative studies of the relation between HAA and processes of care are needed to identify targets for quality improvement," the authors write.
Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
