Holiday and weekend effects on mortality for acute myocardial infarction in Shanxi, China: a cross-sectional study

To examine the effects of holiday and weekend admission on in-hospital mortality for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in China. Patients with AMI in 31 tertiary hospitals in Shanxi, China from 2014 to 2017 were included (N = 54,968). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of holiday and weekend admission on in-hospital mortality. Compared to non-holiday and weekday admissions, holiday and weekend admissions, respectively, were associated with increases in risk-adjusted mortality rates. Chinese National Day was associated with an additional 10 deaths per 1000 admissions (95% confidence interval (CI): (0, 20))—a relative increase from baseline mortality of 64% (95% CI: (1%, 128%)). Sunday was associated with an additional 4 deaths per 1000 admissions (95% CI: (0, 7))—a relative increase from baseline mortality of 23% (95% CI: (3%, 45%)). We found no evidence of gender differences in holiday or weekend effects on mortality. Holiday and weekend admissions were associated with in-hospital AMI mortality. The admissions on Chinese National Day and Sunday contributed to the observed “holiday effect” and “weekend effect,” respectively.