Comparison of the effects of two low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals for secondary prevention after acute myocardial infarction in real-world practice: ≥ 50% reduction from baseline versus < 70 mg/dL

Background The present study compared the effects of two low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals for secondary prevention after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in real-world practice. Methods and results Of 3091 consecutive patients with AMI who had baseline LDL-C levels ≥70mg/dL and underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention, 1305 eligible patients who received discharge statin prescriptions were analyzed. Patients were categorized into 2 groups according to the values of LDL-C at 1year in two different manners using percent reduction from baseline (≥50% reduction, n=428 versus <50% reduction, n=877) and fixed levels (<70mg/dL, n=625 versus ≥70mg/dL, n=680). The primary outcome was defined by the composite of 2-year major cardiac events including cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass grafting after hospital discharge. At 2years, major cardiac events occurred in 139 patients (10.7%). Compared with <50% LDL-C reduction from baseline, patients with ≥50% LDL-C reduction had a 47% risk reduction in major cardiac events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.36 to 0.79; P=0.002). But, compared with LDL-C levels ≥70mg/dL at 1year, patients with LDL-C levels <70mg/dL at 1year had a similar risk of major cardiac events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.68 to 1.34; P=0.793). Conclusions Obtaining a ≥50% reduction in LDL-C was associated with better clinical outcomes after AMI in real-world practice, whereas achieving a <70mg/dL was not.