BACKGROUND: Data on nursing home admission after myocardial infarction (MI) in the elderly are scarce. We investigated nursing home admission within 6 months and 2 years after MI including predictors for nursing home admission in a nationwide cohort of elderly patients.

METHODS: Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified all subjects 65 years or older residing at home who were discharged following first-time MI in the period 2008-2015. We determined sex- and age-stratified incidence rates per 1000 person years (IRs) and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of nursing home admissions using Poisson regression models compared to the Danish population 65 years or older with no prior MI. Poisson regression models were also applied to identify predictors of nursing home admission.

RESULTS: The 26,539 patients who were discharged after MI had a median age of 76 (quartile 1-quartile 3: 70-83) years. The IRs of nursing home admission after MI increased with increasing age and for 80-84-year-old women IRs after 6 months and 2 years were 113.9 and 62.9, respectively, compared to 29.4 for women of the same age with no prior MI. The IRs for 80-84-year-old men after MI were 56.0 and 36.2, respectively, compared to 24.3 for men of the same age with no prior MI. In adjusted analyses the 6 months and 2 years IRRs for 80-84-year-old subjects were 2.56 (95% CI 2.11-3.10) and 1.41 (95% CI 1.22-1.65) for women and 1.74 (95% CI 1.34-2.25) and 1.05 (95% CI 0.88-1.26) for men, respectively. Predictors were advanced age, dementia, home care, Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease, living alone, depression, and arrhythmia.

CONCLUSION: In elderly patients discharged following first-time MI, the risk of subsequent nursing home admission within 6 months was 2-fold higher compared to an age-stratified population with no prior MI. After 2 years this risk remained higher in women.