Background of the ACS Registry
The acute coronary syndromes (ACS) comprise a variety of clinical scenarios ranging from unstable angina pectoris (UA) to non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The management of these different types of ACS have been rapidly evolving during the past decade.
Based on the results of randomised controlled trials, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has been providing practice guidelines relevant to the treatment of ACS:
Management of ACS with ST-elevation (Eur Heart J 24, 2003, 28-66)
Management of ACS without persistent ST-elevation (Eur Heart J 23, 2002, 1809-1840)
Guidelines for Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (Eur Heart J 26, 2005, 804-847).
The two ACS-Surveys within the Euro Heart Survey Programme collecting data of ACS presentation, treatment and outcome in Europe in 2000 and 2004 showed a large gap between recommendations by guidelines and their implementation into clinical practice. Large national quality control registries of consecutive patients with ACS have shown that adherence to guidelines resulted in an improvement of care which was associated with a significant reduction of hospital mortality in clinical practice.
Based on these experiences, the Euro Heart Survey ACS-Registry is the first continuous registration of consecutive patients presenting with ACS in Europe providing benchmark reports for quality assurance with the intention to improve the implementation of ESC guidelines into clinical practice.
Objective of the ACS-Registry
The objectives of the Euro Heart Survey ACS-Registry are as follows:
To document current presentation of ACS in Europe
To determine the adherence to current ESC guidelines for the management of the different kinds of ACS with respect to:
Acute reperfusion treatment (STEMI)
Invasive vs conservative treatment (NSTEMI / UA)
Adjunctive medical treatment (all ACS)
Assess the immediate, in-hospital and 1-year outcome of patients with ACS
Assess medical resource utilisation and its impact on outcome in different countries and different types of hospitals.
Test prospectively the value of existing treatment algorithms to predict disease-related outcomes.
Compare current clinical practice of ACS in 2006/7 with clinical practice in 2000 and 2004 (data from the Euro Heart Surveys ACS-I and ACS-II)
For more in formation, please contact : ehs@escardio.org