THE PRESCRIBING TRENDS OF ACE-INHIBITORS AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF HAZARA REGION

Background: There is good evidence that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are beneficial after myocardial infarction (MI). However, it is not known how widely this evidence is used in practice or whether all eligible patients receive this therapy. Objective: In three sizable tertiary care hospitals in the Hazara region, the study's objective was to evaluate the usage of ACE-inhibitors in patients who had experienced MI. Methods: Data collection from patients was used to collect the cases and examine the prescription pattern of use of ACE inhibitors, combination-based therapy, reasons for prescribing ACE inhibitors in STEMI, or reasons for prescribing ACE inhibitors in NSTEMI. To determine if proof-based prescribing of ACE-inhibitors following MI is taking place, data about ACE-inhibitor prescriptions is compared with recommended criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate percentage frequencies. Results: There were 460 patients. 63.3% are male and 36.7% are female. 30% of patients who suffered an ST elevation MI received ACE inhibitors; in contrast, a greater part of patients (70%) who suffered a non-ST elevation MI received ACE inhibitors. 43.3% of the patients were prescribed ramipril, and 42% of the patients received lisinopril. Captopril, enalapril, quinapril, and fosinopril were prescribed to 7.4%, 5.4%, 1.5%, and 0.4% of patients, respectively. Ramipril was most commonly prescribed. It was also assessed that 44% of the patients received Β-blockers as combination therapy. The most prescribed Β-blocker was bisoprolol and then metoprolol. Conclusion: Most patients admitted to three tertiary care hospitals with myocardial infarction (MI) were prescribed an ACE inhibitor in an appropriate manner.