May 06, 2021
Patients with stable ischemic heart disease treated with optimal medical therapy in the ISCHEMIA trial spent more time alive out of the hospital at 2 years when compared with those treated with an invasive strategy, but by 4 years the difference between the two approaches was a wash, according to a new analysis.
When excluding hospitalizations related to the invasive protocol-assigned procedures, there was no statistically significant difference in the number of days spent alive out of hospital (DAOH) between the two treatment strategies at any time point, report investigators.
“DAOH is an important patient-focused metric,” lead investigator Harvey White, DSc (Green Lane Cardiovascular Services/Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand), told TCTMD. “It’s important to measure, as patients value it. Apart from death and a debilitating stroke, patients don’t care that much about endpoints that don’t affect their quality of life. Several studies have shown that patients don’t really want to spend time in hospitals—loss of independence and autonomy, the food, and now risk of getting COVID. They would rather spend time at home with family and friends, in recreation, or even at work.”