Meeting AHA/ACC secondary prevention goals in a vascular surgery practice: an opportunity we cannot afford to miss
Abstract
In an effort to reduce cardiovascular mortality, patients with atherosclerotic arterial disease should undergo risk factor modification according to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) Secondary Prevention Guidelines (hereafter, Guideline). We assessed compliance with the Guideline in a group of patients seen in a vascular surgery practice. We evaluated 200 consecutive patients with lower-extremity occlusive disease, cerebrovascular disease, or abdominal aortic aneurysm seen by a university-based vascular surgery practice. The subjects were patients who had been seen previously in our clinic (ESTABLISHED) and new referrals (NEW). Data pertinent to each of the nine AHA/ACC Guideline goals were collected from patient interviews, medication histories, and laboratory records. Compliance with each of the Guideline goals was evaluated. Differences in compliance between ESTABLISHED and NEW patient groups were also compared. We also recorded whether a patient had a previous endovascular or open surgical vascular intervention (EVENT or NO EVENT). Differences in compliance between the EVENT and NO EVENT groups were compared. Most patients did not achieve the secondary prevention goals recommended in th...Continue Reading
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