Hospitalization rates for coronary artery disease decline in the U.S.

Inpatient use of less-invasive revascularization treatments such as balloon angioplasty and stents administered via cardiac catheterization have contributed in part to a decline in hospitalization rates for coronary artery disease (CAD). According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, treatment of CAD appears to be shifting away from the inpatient setting. U.S. hospitalization rates for heart attacks (acute myocardial infarctions) declined 10.6% from 2002 to 2005, possibly due to broader use of preventive treatments such as statin drugs and aspirin, as well as declines in risk factors like smoking. Researchers found that hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction decreased steadily from 661,000 in 2002 to 591,000 in 2005—a decline from 309 to 266 per 100,000 persons. Hospitalization rates for coronary revascularization declined from 382 to 358 per 100,000 persons from 2002 to 2005. This was due in part to a decrease in coronary artery bypass surgeries from 258,000 to 209,000 per year. Balloon angioplasty and stent implementations increased from 564,000 to 592,000 during that same period.

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