Background: Bleeding is the major noncardiac adverse consequence of treatment in patients with non-ST-elevation (NSTE) acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The aims were to identify predictors of major bleeding in patients with NSTE ACS and to evaluate in-hospital and 1-year outcomes.
Methods: We evaluated 5842 patients with NSTE-ACS included in the multicenter Canadian ACS Registries.
Results: Patients with in-hospital major bleeding (n = 79, 1.4%) were older (75 vs 66 years, P < .001), with higher baseline creatinine (1.17 vs 1.02 mg/dL, P < .002), more diabetes (36% vs 25%, P = .04), hypertension (73% vs 54%, P < .002), previous stroke (20% vs 9%, P < .002), Killip class > or = II (P < .01), and ST-depression (37% vs 18%, P < .001). Antiplatelet/thrombotic therapies did not differ between patients with and without major bleeding. Crude event rates were significantly higher in patients with major bleeding: in-hospital death 19.2% vs 1.5% (P < .001), myocardial infarction (MI) 15.4% vs 3.8% (P < .001), and death or MI 26.9% vs 4.9% (P < .001). One-year event rates were also higher: death 35.9% vs 7.4% (P < .0001), MI 15.6% vs 6.2% (P = .0021), and death or MI 40.6% vs 12.6% (P < .0001). In multivariable analysis, independent predictors for major bleeding were age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.03-1.09), hypertension (1.72, 1.0-2.97), previous stroke (1.84, 1.0-3.37), and in-hospital catheterization (1.93, 1.06-3.53) or bypass surgery (2.18, 1.0-4.76). Major bleeding was an independent predictor of 1-year death (OR 3.92, 2.07-7.41) and death or MI (2.51, 1.41-4.48).
Conclusions: In patients with NSTE-ACS, major bleeding is associated with increased short- and long-term rates of death and MI, and is predicted by simple clinical characteristics.