The impact of multimorbidity on long-term outcomes after myocardial infarction: an investigation using linked, routinely collected health record data (360G-Wellcome-227498_Z_23_Z)

As we age, we become more likely to develop multiple long-term health conditions. Having two or more long-term conditions is referred to as ‘multimorbidity’ and has been linked to worse quality of life and greater risk of premature death. As people are generally living longer, a growing number of people that have a heart attack have multimorbidity. This poses a number of problems. Firstly, hospital-based heart attack care is delivered by highly- specialist cardiology teams that historically, have not provided care for patients with multiple, non-heart-related conditions. Secondly, the safety and effectiveness of heart attack treatments were proven by clinical trials that routinely excluded patients with multimorbidity, putting into question their routine use in this population. This study aims to use anonymous GP and hospital records to better understand what proportion of heart attack patients have multimorbidity and how multimorbidity affects their treatment and outcomes. It also aims to identify particular combinations of conditions that may contribute to worse outcomes after a heart attack, and ways that we can mitigate against this. We envisage that our findings will enable us to provide more holistic, safe and effective care after a heart attack, tailored to the long-term conditions a person has.