Polypill for secondary prevention
Another innovation in the new guidelines is a new Class IIa recommendation for prescription of a polypill containing secondary prevention medications for patients on discharge from hospital.
This recommendation follows a trial that showed that the use of such a polypill helps patients be more adherent to the therapies prescribed.
Byrne explains that such a polypill may contain aspirin, an ACE inhibitor, and a statin. Several varieties are available in most European countries, but they are not widely used.
On secondary prevention, he stressed, “Prevention of the next heart attack starts before the patient leaves hospital. It is important to make sure the patient has the right medication on board, including a high-dose, high-intensity statin, and has been referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program. These are largely maintained recommendations from previous guidelines, but they are very important.”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.