Changes in Treatment of Acute Coronary Syndromes over Time

Results from the GRACE study showed improvements in quality of care and outcomes worldwide.

Despite national and international guidelines supporting evidence-based therapy for acute coronary syndromes, significant gaps remain between guideline recommendations and patient care. Investigators for the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events, currently the largest international study to document ACS treatment, collected data on 44,372 patients with ST-segment-elevation MI (STEMI) or non–ST-segment-elevation ACS (NSTEACS) in 14 countries to examine trends in the use of evidence-based therapies and in outcomes.

Between 1999 and 2006, use of beta-blockers, statins, ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, thienopyridines, and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors increased significantly. In STEMI patients, pharmacologic reperfusion ra…

Reviewing Author

JoAnne M. Foody, MD