15-Year trends, predictors, and outcomes of heart failure hospitalization complicating first acute myocardial infarction in the modern percutaneous coronary intervention era

Aims Heart failure (HF) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a global health concern, but data on risk factors associated with HF hospitalization post-AMI are limited. Methods and results We analysed data from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project, including patients admitted with AMI from 1 January 2006 to 31 March 2019. Data linkage with Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care and the Office for National Statistics facilitated a longitudinal analysis. High-risk patients were identified using dapagliflozin in patients without diabetes mellitus with acute myocardial infarction (DAPA-MI) and EMPAgliflozin on Hospitalization for Heart Failure and Mortality in Patients With aCuTe Myocardial Infarction (EMPACT-MI) criteria. We assessed clinical outcomes, adherence to European Society of Cardiology quality indicators, and predictors of HF-related hospitalizations. Out of 1 046 480 AMI patients, 9.1% overall, 17.2% in the DAPA-MI cohort, and 16.6% in the EMPACT-MI cohort experienced HF hospitalization within a year post-AMI. High-risk patients, defined by the presence of five risk factors, had nearly one in four hospitalizations with HF at 1-year follow-up. The predicted adjusted incidence rate for heart failure within 1 year almost doubled from 64.5 cases per 1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI): 51.1 to 78.0] in 2005, to 118.2 cases per 1000 person-years in 2019 (95% CI: 115.0 to 121.5). Heart failure hospitalization was associated with a three-fold increase in 1-year mortality (hazard ratio 3.01, 95% CI 2.95–3.13). Conclusion One in 10 AMI patients experienced HF hospitalization within the first-year post-AMI, with rising trends in high-risk subgroups. These findings highlight the need for targeted post-AMI care strategies to improve outcomes and address the increasing burden of HF in the modern percutaneous coronary intervention era.