BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe the magnitude and characteristics of patients who did not experience any significant major adverse cardiovascular event early (within 6 weeks) and late (during the first year) after hospital discharge for an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from 12 243 patients discharged after an AMI from 233 sites across the United States in the TRANSLATE-ACS (Treatment With ADP Receptor Inhibitors: Longitudinal Assessment of Treatment Patterns and Events After Acute Coronary Syndrome) study were analyzed. Multivariable adjusted regression analyses modeled factors associated with 6-week and 1-year survivors who did not experience a recurrent AMI, stroke, unplanned coronary revascularization, or rehospitalization for unstable angina/chest pain during these time periods. The average age of this study population was 60.0 years, 72.0% were men, and 87.9% were white. In this population, 92.4% were classified as early low-risk survivors and 76.3% were classified as late low-risk survivors of an AMI. Factors associated with being an early and late postdischarge survivor included being male and having single-vessel coronary artery disease at the patient's index hospitalization. Patients who were not first seen with any chronic health condition, had an index hospital stay of < /=3 days, and had high baseline quality-of-life scores were more likely to be late low-risk survivors.

CONCLUSIONS: Identifying low-risk survivors of an AMI may permit healthcare providers to focus more intensive efforts and interventions on those at higher risk of experiencing adverse cardiovascular events during the postdischarge transition period.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01088503.