Abstract
PURPOSE: Our objectives were to describe recent trends in the characteristics and in-hospital outcomes in diabetic as compared with non-diabetic patients hospitalized with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 2537 persons with (n = 684) and without (n = 1853) a history of diabetes who were hospitalized for STEMI between 1997 and 2009 at 11 medical centres in Central Massachusetts. RESULTS: Diabetic patients were more likely to be older, female and to have a higher prevalence of previously diagnosed comorbidities. Diabetic patients were more likely to have developed important in-hospital complications and to have a longer hospital stay compared with non-diabetic patients. Between 1997 and 2009, there was a marked decline in hospital mortality in diabetic (20.0%-5.6%) and non-diabetic (18.6%-7.5%) patients. CONCLUSION: Despite reduced hospital mortality in patients hospitalized with STEMI, diabetic patients continue to experience significantly more adverse outcomes than non-diabetics.