Moira Lonergan

Bio: Moira Lonergan is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Audit & Clinical audit. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 211 citations.

The Cardiology Audit and Registration Data Standards (CARDS), European data standards for clinical cardiology practice.

Abstract: Aims Systematic registration of data from clinical practice is important for clinical care, local, national and international registries, and audit. Data to be collected for these different purposes should be harmonized. Therefore, during Ireland's Presidency of the European Union (EU) (January to June 2004), the Department of Health and Children worked with the European Society of Cardiology, the Irish Cardiac Society, and the European Commission to develop data standards for clinical cardiology. The Cardiology Audit and Registration Data Standards (CARDS) Project aimed to agree standards for three modules of cardiovascular health information systems: acute coronary syndromes (ACS), percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and clinical electrophysiology (pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and ablation procedures). Methods and results Data items from existing registries and surveys were reviewed to derive draft data standards (variables, coding, and definitions). Variables common to the three modules include demographics, risk factors, medication, and discharge and follow-up data. Modules about a procedure contain variables on the lesion, the device, and medication during the procedure. The ACS module includes presenting symptoms, reperfusion and acute treatments, and procedures in hospital and at follow-up. Conclusions The data standards were discussed and adopted at a conference involving EU member states in Cork, Ireland, in May 2004. After a pilot study, the standards will be disseminated to stakeholders throughout Europe.

Trends in hospitalisation for acute myocardial infarction in Ireland, 1997–2008

Abstract: Objective To study the temporal and gender trends in age-standardised hospitalisation rates, in-hospital mortality rates and indicators of health service use for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the sub-categories, ST elevation MI (STEMI) and non-ST elevation MI (NSTEMI), in Ireland, 1997–2008. Design, setting, patients Anonymised data from the hospital inpatient enquiry were studied for the ICD codes covering STEMI and NSTEMI in all 39 acute hospitals in Ireland over a 12-year period. Age standardisation (direct method) was used to study hospitalisation and in-hospital mortality rates. Joinpoint regression analysis was undertaken to identify significant inflection points in hospitalisation trends. Main outcome measures Age-standardised hospitalisation rates, in-hospital mortality and indicators of health service use (length of stay, bed days) for AMI, STEMI and NSTEMI patients. Results From 1997 to 2008, hospitalisation rates for AMI decreased by 27%, and by 68% for STEMI patients (test for trend p Conclusions The authors found a steady decrease in hospitalisation rates with AMI, and a shift away from STEMI towards rising rates of NSTEMI patients who are increasingly older. In an ageing population, and with increasing survival rates, surveillance of acute coronary syndrome and allied conditions is necessary to inform clinicians and policy makers.

Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes

Abstract: Guidelines and Expert Consensus Documents summarize and evaluate all currently available evidence on a particular issue with the aim to assist physicians in selecting the best management strategies for a typical patient, suffering from a given condition, taking into account the impact on outcome, as well as the risk–benefit ratio of particular diagnostic or therapeutic means. Guidelines are no substitutes for textbooks. The legal implications of medical guidelines have been discussed previously. A great number of Guidelines and Expert Consensus Documents have been issued in recent years by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) as well as by other societies and organizations. Because of the impact on clinical practice, quality criteria for development of guidelines have been established in order to make all decisions transparent to the user. The recommendations for formulating and issuing ESC Guidelines and Expert Consensus Documents can be found on the ESC website (http://www.escardio.org/knowledge/guidelines/rules). In brief, experts in the field are selected and undertake a comprehensive review of the published evidence for management and/or prevention of a given condition. A critical evaluation of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is performed including assessment of the risk–benefit ratio. Estimates of expected health outcomes for larger societies are included, where data exist. The level of evidence and the strength of recommendation of particular treatment options are weighed and graded according to pre-defined scales, as outlined in Tables 1 and 2 . View this table: Table 1 Classes of recommendations View this table: Table 2 Levels of evidence The experts of the writing panels have provided disclosure statements of all relationships they may have which might be perceived as real or potential sources of conflicts of interest. These disclosure forms are kept on file at the European Heart House, headquarters of the ESC. Any changes in conflict of interest that arise during the writing period must be notified to the …

Long-Term Outcomes with Drug-Eluting Stents versus Bare-Metal Stents in Sweden

Abstract: BACKGROUND Recent reports have indicated that there may be an increased risk of late stent thrombosis with the use of drug-eluting stents, as compared with bare-metal stents. METHODS We evaluated 6033 patients treated with drug-eluting stents and 13,738 patients treated with bare-metal stents in 2003 and 2004, using data from the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry. The outcome analysis covering a period of up to 3 years was based on 1424 deaths and 2463 myocardial infarctions and was adjusted for differences in baseline characteristics. RESULTS The two study groups did not differ significantly in the composite of death and myocardial infarction during 3 years of follow-up. At 6 months, there was a trend toward a lower unadjusted event rate in patients with drug-eluting stents than in those with bare-metal stents, with 13.4 fewer such events per 1000 patients. However, after 6 months, patients with drug-eluting stents had a significantly higher event rate, with 12.7 more events per 1000 patients per year (adjusted relative risk, 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 1.37). At 3 years, mortality was significantly higher in patients with drug-eluting stents (adjusted relative risk, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.35), and from 6 months to 3 years, the adjusted relative risk for death in this group was 1.32 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.57). CONCLUSIONS Drug-eluting stents were associated with an increased rate of death, as compared with bare-metal stents. This trend appeared after 6 months, when the risk of death was 0.5 percentage point higher and a composite of death or myocardial infarction was 0.5 to 1.0 percentage point higher per year. The long-term safety of drug-eluting stents needs to be ascertained in large, randomized trials.

Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes The Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes of the European Society of Cardiology

Abstract: ‘Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes: The Task Force for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes of the European Society of Cardiology’ recently published in European Heart Journal 1 rightly dedicates space to the pitfalls that can be encountered when reading presentation ECGs. However, we wish to draw attention to what we think is an important omission. No reference is made in this context to acute aortic syndrome (AAS)—a condition in …

Association Between Adoption of Evidence-Based Treatment and Survival for Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Abstract: Context Only limited information is available on the speed of implementation of new evidence-based and guideline-recommended treatments and its association with survival in real life health care of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Objective To describe the adoption of new treatments and the related chances of short- and long-term survival in consecutive patients with STEMI in a single country over a 12-year period. Design, Setting, and Participants The Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admission (RIKS-HIA) records baseline characteristics, treatments, and outcome of consecutive patients with acute coronary syndrome admitted to almost all hospitals in Sweden. This study includes 61 238 patients with a first-time diagnosis of STEMI between 1996 and 2007. Main Outcome Measures Estimated and crude proportions of patients treated with different medications and invasive procedures and mortality over time. Results Of evidence-based treatments, reperfusion increased from 66% (95%, confidence interval [CI], 52%-79%) to 79% (95% CI, 69%-89%; P Conclusion In a Swedish registry of patients with STEMI, between 1996 and 2007, there was an increase in the prevalence of evidence-based treatments. During this same time, there was a decrease in 30-day and 1-year mortality that was sustained during long-term follow-up.

Prognosis research strategy (PROGRESS) 4: Stratified medicine research

Abstract: In patients with a particular disease or health condition, stratified medicine seeks to identify those who will have the most clinical benefit or least harm from a specific treatment. In this article, the fourth in the PROGRESS series, the authors discuss why prognosis research should form a cornerstone of stratified medicine, especially in regard to the identification of factors that predict individual treatment response