Intensive surveillance and treatment of dyslipidemia in the postinfarct patient: evaluation of a nurse-oriented management approach.

BACKGROUND: Lowering plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations in patients with established coronary artery disease is essential if recurrent cardiac events and mortality are to be prevented; however, a large proportion of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) are not screened and treated appropriately in the months immediately following hospital discharge. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: The CHOlesterol Post-INfarct (CHOPIN) project is a nurse-centred program initiated to close the large gap between nationally centred recognized guidelines for LDL lowering and current actual practice in the secondary prevention of coronary artery disease. RESULTS: The authors report findings in 151 consecutive patients (70 years of age or less) followed for an average of 5.5+/-3.3 months. Three months after an index MI and at a time when patients started being followed in CHOPIN, 46% of patients had LDL in excess of 2.5 mmol/L and 36% had LDL greater than 3.20 mmol/L. LDL-lowering interventions undertaken comprised either consultation with a dietitian (35%) or initiation or modification of lipid-lowering medication (58%). Mean LDL on discharge from CHOPIN was 2.58+/-0.49 mmol/L, and 97% of the patients had LDL cholesterol less than 3.20 mmol/L at discharge. CONCLUSIONS: This experience shows that a nurse-based case management strategy can achieve good control of dyslipidemia in a large proportion of post-MI patients. Because intervention to lower LDL has been prospectively shown to reduce the need for coronary artery bypass and angioplasty, these results suggest that projects configured in the manner of CHOPIN should reduce hospital costs associated with cardiovascular disease.