Influenza infection not associated with acute MI requiring PCI

CHICAGO — Influenza infection did not increase the risk for acute MI in older patients who were hospitalized and required PCI, according to data presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

Saman Setareh-Shenas, MD, cardiovascular disease fellow at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and colleagues analyzed data from 399,560 patients older than 65 years (mean age, 77 years) from 2013 to 2015 Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases who were admitted from October to March of each year, which was the peak influenza season. All patients were matched based on their influenza pneumonia status (n = 199,780).

“Last year, we got hit with one of the biggest flu epidemics in U.S. history in the past 2 decades,” Setareh-Shenas told Cardiology Today’s Intervention. “That and also working in [the critical care unit], we saw a lot of patients coming in with MIs with HF exacerbation while being diagnosed with flu.”

The top three primary diagnoses of patients who were hospitalized were septicemia (n = 23,010), pneumonia (n = 17,149) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with acute exacerbation (n = 13,020).

The presence of influenza did not influence the number of patients who received PCI for acute MI (HR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.82-1.17) or the odds of PCI with acute MI as a concurrent diagnosis (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.9-1.17).

Results were similar in patients who had diabetes.

“We all have to look at each patient at a personal level,” Setareh-Shenas said in an interview. “Even though we look at a population health and the global aspects of it, each patient is their own.” – by Darlene Dobkowski

Reference:

Setareh-Shenas S, et al. Poster Mo1284. Presented at: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions; Nov. 10-12, 2018; Chicago.

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.