Guidelines Help Hospitalists Manage Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

At discharge, patients should be given:

• Aspirin;
• Beta-blockers (Joint Commission-required; voluntary according to CMS);
• ACE/ARB for systolic heart failure (Joint Commission-required;
• voluntary according to CMS); and
• Statins.

Maybelle Cowan-Lincoln is a freelance writer in New Jersey.

References

1. Jneid H, Anderson JL, Wright RS, et al. 2012 ACCF/AHA focused update of the guideline for the management of patients with unstable angina/non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction (updating the 2007 guideline and replacing the 2011 focused update). a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012;60(7):645-681.
2. Darrow B. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS): Keys to treatment and new advances. Paper presented at the seventh annual Mid-Atlantic Hospital Medicine Symposium; Oct. 19, 2012; New York, NY.
3. Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Specifications Manual for National Hospital Inpatient Quality Measures. The Joint Commission website. Available at: https://www.jointcommission.org/specifications_manual_for_national_hospital_inpatient_quality_measures.aspx. Accessed Oct. 22, 2012.