Kaiser Says Norcal Heart Attack Rates Have Dropped Dramatically

Heart attack rates among Kaiser Permanente's Northern California enrollees dropped 23% between 2008 and 2014 and 40% since 2000.

            The decline was recorded among 3.8 million enrollees in Kaiser's plans, according to a recently published study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Altogether, they suffered more than 29,000 heart attacks and related hospitalizations during the time period studied.

            Primarily, Kaiser was able to reduce the rates of more severe forms of heart attacks, known as ST-elevation myocardial infarctions. They were cut 72% between 1999 and 2014, including a 10% drop between 2008 and 2014. Such heart attacks usually require an immediate intervention to open up blocked blood vessels.

            The less severe non-ST-elevation myocardial infarctions declined by a third between 2004 and 2014.

            Kaiser officials credit the reductions with aggressive management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

            “Our findings show heart attack rates have continued to decline since 2008, overall and in key patient subgroups, within a large community that reflects racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity,” said senior author Alan S. Go, M.D., chief of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions at Kaiser's Northern California Division of Research.