Use of intensive lipid-lowering therapy in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome: An analysis of 65,396 hospitalizations from 344 hospitals participating in Get with the Guidelines (GWTG)

Objectives: The study aimed to analyze the use of intensive lipid-lowering therapy (I-LLT) at discharge in a broad population of patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Background: Early and intensive statin therapy in ACS has been shown to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Utilization and predictors of I-LLT among hospitalized ACS patients are not known. Methods: The GWTG database was analyzed for ACS-related hospitalizations from 2005 to 2009. The use of I-LLT (defined as dose of statin or combination therapy likely to produce >50% reductions in low-density lipoprotein [LDL]) and less intensive lipid-lowering therapy (LI-LLT) at discharge was assessed. Baseline characteristics and temporal trends in LLT were compared in these 2 treatment groups. Results: Of 65,396 patients receiving LLT, only 25,036 (38.3%) were treated with an I-LLT regimen. Mean total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides were significantly higher in the I-LLT group. Even among those with LDL >130 mg/dL, 50% or less received I-LLT. Predictors of I-LLT at discharge included LLT before admission, hyperlipidemia, prior coronary artery disease, increasing body mass index, and in-hospital percutaneous coronary intervention. Although there was some temporal improvement in the rate of I-LLT from 2005 to 2007, a decline in use of I-LLT was noted in 2008 and 2009. This was attributed to a sharp reduction in use of ezetimibe in combination with statin, without corresponding increases in intensive statin monotherapy. Conclusions: In a large cohort of patients admitted with ACS, most of the eligible patients were not discharged on I-LLT. These data suggest the need for better implementation of guideline-recommended intensive statin therapy in patients with ACS.