BACKGROUND: Contemporary trends in the management and outcomes of chronic kidney disease patients who develop an acute myocardial infarction have not been adequately described, particularly from the more generalizable perspective of a population-based investigation.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 6219 residents of the Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan area who were hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in 6 annual periods between 1995 and 2005. Patients were categorized as having preserved kidney function (n=3154), mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (n=2313), or severe chronic kidney disease (n=752) at the time of hospital admission.

RESULTS: Patients with chronic kidney disease were more likely to be older, to have a greater prevalence of comorbidities, and to experience significant in-hospital complications or die during hospitalization in comparison with patients with preserved kidney function. Although patients with chronic kidney disease were less likely to receive effective cardiac medications or undergo coronary interventional procedures than patients without kidney disease, we observed a marked increase in the use of effective cardiac medications and coronary interventional procedures in patients with chronic kidney disease during the period under study. In-hospital death rates declined over time among patients with chronic kidney disease, whereas these death rates remained unchanged among persons with normal kidney function.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study in residents of a large New England metropolitan area provide insights into changing trends in the treatment and impact of chronic kidney disease in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction.