- Where heart attack survivors live in the U.S. may affect their chances of getting the best medication to prevent a second attack, a new study suggests.
High-intensity and moderate-intensity statin therapy are defined by how much they reduce levels of LDL-cholesterol in the blood, she explained. On average, high-intensity statins achieve about a 50per cent reduction and moderate-intensity statins achieve about a 30per cent reduction. Bittner and her colleagues don't know why patients from certain areas of the country are less likely to receive high-intensity statins after a heart attack.
"If they find underutilization," she said,"then they should develop treatment pathways designed to improve the treatment gap: something as simple as a checklist on discharge for patients with a that asks the clinician 'Is this patient going home on a high-intensity statin? Yes/No, if no provide reason,' may help."