Healthcare utilisation and clinical outcomes among survivors of acute myocardial infarction: a national electronic health records cohort study

Many people now survive a heart attack because of better use of heart attack treatments. However, heart attacks are still very common and remain a leading cause of death worldwide. Most patients who have a heart attack are older and have other conditions such as diabetes or lung disease. It is not clear whether all patients who have a heart attack and also have additional conditions will receive the same life-saving treatments as those without these conditions.

My research will use the national heart attack register to study the care provided to patients with and without these additional conditions. Patients are living longer after having a heart attack so there is also a higher chance of them developing further conditions later in life. While we already know the chance of a second heart attack, we do not yet know the chances of developing other conditions such as cancer or dementia. I will use existing data from visits to doctors and hospital admissions to determine the chances of developing such conditions after having a heart attack.

This research hopes to provide a better understanding of the care needed before and after a heart attack to ultimately help save more lives.