Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that cardiac rehabilitation and regular follow-ups are associated with reduced mortality and morbidity. A programme of Managed Care for Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction was developed in Poland (MC-AMI; in Polish, KOS-zawał), based on current scientific evidence. However, there is a lack of data on possible improvement in long-term prognosis among women after acute myocardial infarction. AIMS: To compare the male and female population who participated in MC-AMI, regarding major cardiovascular events, defined as a composite of death, recurrent myocardial infarction, and hospital-ization for heart failure, in a 1-year follow-up. METHODS: A prospective research study from a single cardiology care centre. The study compared 2 groups: women and men who agreed to participate in the MC-AMI programme. RESULTS: A total of 529 patients were included in the study (167 women and 362 men). In the 12-month follow-up, the difference in major cardiovascular events events was not statistically significant for women and men, respectively (11.38% women vs 11.33% men; p = 0.98). Cox multivariate regression analysis of the surveyed population showed that coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and previous percutaneous coronary intervention were significantly correlated with the primary endpoint. CONCLUSION: Women participating in the MC-AMI programme did not have a worse prognosis regarding major cardiovascular events, compared with men in a 12-month follow-up. Given the benefits of the MC-AMI programme, the proportion of women participating in the programme should be increased.