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Numerous studies have shown that patients admitted to hospitals on weekends have worse outcomes than those admitted during the week. Results of studies focusing on patients with myocardial infarction have been inconsistent. These authors compared rates of death within 30 days of admission for patients with acute MI (AMI) admitted on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and weekdays using a database containing information for all 231,164 patients discharged from New Jersey hospitals from 1987 to 2002 with a diagnosis of first AMI.
Mortality at 30 days was significantly higher in patients admitted on weekends. For the period 1999–2002, rates were 12.9% versus 12.0%. Even after adjusting for possible confounders, the difference in mortality became si…