Aims: Guidelines recommend management with an invasive coronary angiogram in acute coronary syndromes (ACS), but most studies excluded patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Our aims were to describe, in a comprehensive ACS cohort, the incidence of CKD, coronary angiography utilisation and outcomes, according to CKD stage.
Methods: National datasets were used to identify hospitalised ACS patients (2013 to 2018) in the Northern region of New Zealand. CKD stage was obtained from a linked laboratory dataset. Outcomes included all-cause and cause-specific mortality, and non-fatal myocardial infarction, heart failure and stroke.
Results: Thirty-eight percent (38%) of the 23,432 ACS patients had CKD stage 3 or higher: 2,403 (10%) had stages 4/5 CKD. Overall 61% received coronary angiography. Compared with normal renal function the adjusted rate of coronary angiography was lower in CKD stage 3b (RR 0.75, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 0.69, 0.82) and stages 4/5 without dialysis (RR 0.41, 95% CIs 0.36, 0.46), but similar for those on dialysis (RR 0.89, 95% CIs 0.77, 1.02). All-cause mortality (mean follow-up 3.2 years) increased with CKD stage from 8% (normal kidney function) to 69% (stages 4/5 CKD without dialysis). Compared with coronary angiography, the adjusted all-cause and CVD mortality risks were higher in those without coronary angiography, except for those on dialysis, where these risks converged.
Conclusions: Invasive management fell below an eGFR of 45 mL/min (≤ stage 3b), and nearly half of all deaths occurred in these patients. Clinical trials are needed to assess the role of invasive management in ACS and advanced CKD.
Keywords: Acute coronary syndromes; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic kidney disease; Coronary angiography; Mortality.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.