Clinical and Economic Analysis of Lipid Goal Attainments in Chinese Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Who Received Post-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Aim: The recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels of the guideline may be appropriate for Caucasian patients but not for other ethnic groups. Methods: A cohort study was conducted in Hong Kong, and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2005 and 2015 were enrolled. The primary outcomes of interest were the total cost of care and cardiovascular-related cost during one-year follow-up. The cost difference by lipid goal attainments was analyzed by Poisson regression with multivariate treatment effects. The clinical outcomes achieved by lipid goal attainments in terms of major adverse cardiovascular events were analyzed by multivariate Cox regression. Results: Among the 4638 patients, 79.50%, 48.64%, and 36.14% attained the LDL-C goals of < 2.6, < 2.0, and < 1.8 mmol/L for one year, respectively. Only about 16% patients achieved the ≥ 50% reduction from baseline. None of these lipid goals was associated with a significant reduction in the total cost of care. We only identified the clinical benefits associated with the lipid goal of < 2.6 mmol/L. Other more stringent lipid goals seemed to bring a significant economic burden on cardiovascular-related cost, but their clinical benefits were uncertain. Conclusions: Lowering LDL-C to achieve the guideline-recommended target levels for post-PCI ACS patients may lead to fewer cardiovascular events, but it may not necessarily lead to economic benefits within one year of follow-up.