Review of the Association Between Long-Term and Current Systemic Steroid Use With Electromechanical Complications and Inpatient Mortality After ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Dennis D Kumi; Rohan Gajjar; Joshua T Narh; Edwin Gwira-Tamattey; Muhammad Sana; Nana Yaa Ampaw; Anna Oduro; Samuel M Odoi; Sheriff Dodoo; Setri Fugar

doi:10.7759/cureus.55154

Review of the Association Between Long-Term and Current Systemic Steroid Use With Electromechanical Complications and Inpatient Mortality After ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Cureus. 2024 Feb 28;16(2):e55154. doi: 10.7759/cureus.55154. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Chicago, USA.
² Cardiology, Maimonides Medical Center, New York, USA.
³ Internal Medicine, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, chicago, USA.
⁴ Emergency Medicine, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, GHA.
⁵ Medicine, Kreiskrankenhaus Bergstraße GmbH, Heppenheim, DEU.
⁶ Cardiology, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville, Gainesville, USA.
⁷ Cardiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA.

Abstract

Background The impact of long-term systemic steroid use on electrical and mechanical complications following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been extensively studied. Methods In a retrospective cohort study of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from 2018 to 2020, adults admitted with STEMI were dichotomized based on the presence of long-term (current) systemic steroid (LTCSS) use. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included a composite of mechanical complications, electrical, hemodynamic, and thrombotic complications, as well as revascularization complexity, length of stay (LOS), and total charge. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were used to adjust for confounders. Results Out of 608,210 admissions for STEMI, 5,310 (0.9%) had LTCSS use. There was no significant difference in the odds of all-cause mortality (aOR: 0.89, 95%CI: 0.74-1.08, p-value: 0.245) and the composite of mechanical complications (aOR: 0.74, 95%CI: 0.25-2.30, p-value: 0.599). LTCSS use was associated with lower odds of ventricular tachycardia, atrioventricular blocks, new permanent-pacemaker insertion, cardiogenic shock, the need for mechanical circulatory support, mechanical ventilation, cardioversion, a reduced LOS by 1 day, and a reduced total charge by 34,512 USD (all p-values: <0.05). There were no significant differences in the revascularization strategy (coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) vs. percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI)) or in the incidence of composite thrombotic events. Conclusion LTCSS use among patients admitted with STEMI was associated with lower odds of electrical dysfunction and hemodynamic instability but no difference in the odds of mechanical complications, CABG rate, all-cause mortality, cardiac arrest, or thrombotic complications. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate these findings further.

Keywords: electrical dysfunction; hemodynamic dysfunction; implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; long-term (current) systemic steroids; long-term systemic steroid use; mechanical myocardial complications; post-mi complications; st-elevation myocardial infarction; thrombotic complications; ventricular septal defect.