No impact of atrial fibrillation on mortality risk in optimally treated heart failure patients

Clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of acute decompensated heart failure patients with and without atrial fibrillation

Objective:

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are common cardiovascular diseases. The impact of AF on in-hospital outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is controversial. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of AF among hospitalized patients with ADHF and describe the clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of these patients with and without AF.

Methods:

We examined the multicenter, observational data from the real-life data of hospitalized patients with HF: Journey HF-TR study in Turkey that studied the clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of hospitalized patients with ADHF between September 2015 and September 2016.

Results:

Of the 1,606 patients hospitalized with ADHF, 626 (39%) had a history of AF or developed new-onset AF during hospitalization. The patients with AF were older (71±12 vs. 65±13 years; p<0.001) and more likely to have a history of hypertension, valvular heart disease, and stroke. The AF patients were less likely to have coronary artery disease and diabetes. In-hospital adverse event rates and length of in-hospital stay were similar in ADHF patients, both with and without AF. In-hospital all-cause mortality rate was higher in patients with AF than in patients without AF, although the difference was not statistically significant (8.9% vs. 6.8%; p=0.121).

Conclusion:

AF has been found in more than one-third of the patients hospitalized with ADHF, and it has varied clinical features and comorbidities. The presence of AF is not associated with increased adverse events or all-cause mortality during the hospitalization time.

Mortality in heart failure with atrial fibrillation: Role of digoxin and diuretics

BACKGROUND

The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on mortality of patients with heart failure (HF) has been established. Nevertheless, the effect of some factors in mortality, such as digoxin or diuretic use, remains controversial. This study aims at assessing mortality in community-dwelling patients with stable HF related to AF and determines the relation of these drugs with prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Community-based cohort study of HF patients diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2014 attended at any one of the 279 primary healthcare centres of the Catalan Institute of Health (Spain). Follow-up ended on December 31, 2015, and the main outcome was mortality for all causes. The effect of clinical and demographic characteristics on survival was assessed by Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

A total of 13 334 HF patients were included. Mean age was 78.7 years (SD 10.1), and 36.8% had AF. Mean follow-up was 26.9 months (SD 14.0). At the end of the study, 25.8% patients had died, and mortality was higher when AF was present (28.8% vs 24.1%, P < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate model confirmed the higher risk of death for AF patients (HR 1.10 95%, CI 1.02-1.19). Digoxin and diuretics were not associated with higher mortality in AF patients (HR 1.04 95% CI 0.92-1.18 and HR 1.04 95% CI 0.85-1.26, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

An excess of mortality in HF patients with AF was found in a large retrospective community-based cohort. Digoxin and diuretics did not affect mortality in HF patients with AF.

Is extensive atrial fibrosis in the setting of heart failure associated with a reduced atrial fibrillation burden?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects 10-50% of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and is associated with poor long-term prognosis. AF is commonly associated with atrial structural remodeling (ASR), principally characterized by atrial dilatation and fibrosis. However, the occurrence of AF in the full spectrum of ASR encountered in patients with HF is poorly defined. Experimental studies have presented evidence that extensive ASR can be accompanied with a reduced burden of AF, secondary to a prominent depression of atrial excitability. This reduction in AF burden is associated with severe atrial fibrosis rather than with dilatation. Clinical studies of patients with HF point to the possibility that advanced ASR is associated with a less frequent AF occurrence than moderate ASR. Our goal in this review is to introduce the hypothesis that AF is less likely to occur in severe versus moderate atrial ASR in the setting of HF and that it is severe atrial fibrosis-associated depression of atrial excitability that reduces AF burden.

Atrial Fibrillation on Intensive Care Unit Admission Independently Increases the Risk of Weaning Failure in Nonheart Failure Mechanically Ventilated Patients in a Medical Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Case-Control Study

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most frequent arrhythmias in clinical practice. Previous studies have reported the influence of AF on patients with heart failure (HF). The effect of AF on the non-HF critically ill patients in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) remains largely unclear. The study aimed to investigate the impact of AF presenting on ICU admission on the weaning outcome of non-HF mechanically ventilated patients in a medical ICU.A retrospective observational case-control study was conducted over a 1-year period in a medical ICU at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, a tertiary medical center in north Taiwan. Non-HF mechanically ventilated patients who were successful in their spontaneous breathing trial and underwent ventilator discontinuation were enrolled. The primary outcome measure was the ventilator status after the first episode of ventilator discontinuation.A total of 285 non-HF patients enrolled were divided into AF (n = 62) and non-AF (n = 223) groups. Compared with the non-AF patients, the AF patients were significantly associated with old age (P = 0.002), a higher rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome causing respiratory failure (P = 0.015), a higher percentage of sepsis before liberation from mechanical ventilation (MV) (P = 0.004), and a higher serum level of blood urea nitrogen on the day of liberation from MV (P = 0.003). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that AF independently increased the risk of weaning failure [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 3.268; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.254-8.517; P = 0.015]. Furthermore, the AF patients were found to be independently associated with a high rate of ventilator dependence (log rank test, P = 0.026), prolonged total ventilator use (AOR, 1.979; 95% CI, 1.032-3.794; P = 0.040), increased length of ICU stay (AOR, 2.256; 95% CI, 1.049-4.849; P = 0.037), increased length of hospital stay (AOR, 2.921; 95% CI, 1.363-6.260; P = 0.006), and increased ICU mortality (AOR, 4.143; 95% CI, 1.381-12.424; P = 0.011).AF on ICU admission is an independent risk factor for weaning failure and significantly associated with poor hospital outcome in non-HF mechanically ventilated patients in a medical ICU.

Prognostic role of atrial fibrillation in patients affected by chronic heart failure. Data from the MECKI score research group

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in heart failure (HF). It is unclear whether AF has an independent prognostic role in HF. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic role of AF in HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF).

METHODS

HF patients were followed in 17 centers for 3.15years (1.51-5.24). Study endpoints were the composite of cardiovascular (CV) death and heart transplant (HTX) and all-cause death. Data analysis was performed considering the entire population and a 1 to 1 match between sinus rhythm (SR) and AF patients. Match process was done for age±5, gender, left ventricle EF±5, peakVO2±3 (ml/min/kg) and recruiting center.

RESULTS

A total of 3447 patients (SR=2882, AF=565) were included in the study. Considering the entire population, CV death and HTX occurred in 114 (20%) AF vs. 471 (16%) SR (p=0.026) and all-cause death in 130 (23%) AF vs. 554 (19.2%) SR patients (p=0.039). At univariable Cox analysis, AF was significantly related to prognosis. Applying a multivariable model based on all variables significant at univariable analysis (EF, peakVO2, ventilation/carbon dioxide relationship slope, sodium, kidney function, hemoglobin, beta-blockers and digoxin) AF was no longer associated with adverse outcomes. Matching procedure resulted in 338 couples. CV death and HTX occurred in 63 (18.6%) AF vs. 74 (21.9%) SR (p=0.293) and all-cause death in 71 (21%) AF vs. 80 (23.6%) SR (p=0.406), with no survival differences between groups.

CONCLUSION

In systolic HF AF is a marker of disease severity but not an independent prognostic indicator.

Economic evaluation of warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND

Atrial fibrillation is a major risk factor for stroke, which causes thousands of deaths and sequelae. It is recommended that atrial fibrillation patients at medium or high risk of stroke use an oral anticoagulant to reduce the risk of stroke. In the past few years, three new oral anticoagulants (NOACs), dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban, have been introduced in competition to the older oral anticoagulant warfarin.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative cost effectiveness of warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban in a Norwegian setting.

METHODS

We created a probabilistic decision-analytic Markov model to simulate the life of patients with atrial fibrillation. We performed several scenario analyses, including changing the switching age for dabigatran from 80 to 75 years old.

RESULTS

Assuming the European Society of Cardiology guidance, sequential dabigatran (2 × 150 mg daily until 80 years old, 2 × 110 mg thereafter) seems to be the most cost-effective alternative for high-risk AF patients. For medium-risk patients, apixaban (2 × 5 mg daily) seems to be somewhat more effective than dabigatran, but dabigatran is still marginally the most cost-effective alternative. In scenario analyses reducing dabigatran from 2 × 150 mg to 2 × 110 mg at the age of 75 years (instead of at age 80), apixaban (2 × 5 mg daily) becomes the most cost-effective alternative for both risk groups.

CONCLUSION

We have found apixaban or sequential dabigatran to be the alternatives most likely to be considered cost effective, depending on the switching age for dabigatran. These conclusions are highly sensitive to assumptions made in the analysis.

Recent trends in the incidence, treatment, and prognosis of patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation (the Worcester Heart Failure Study)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are common cardiovascular diseases and the co-occurrence of AF and HF has been associated with reduced survival. Data are needed on the potentially changing trends in the characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of patients with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) and AF. The study population consisted of 9,748 patients hospitalized with ADHF at 11 hospitals in the Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan area during 4 study years (1995, 2000, 2002, and 2004). Of the 9,748 patients admitted with ADHF, 3,868 (39.7%) had a history of AF and 449 (4.6%) developed new-onset AF during hospitalization. The rates of new-onset AF remained stable (4.9% in 1995; 5.0% in 2004), but the proportion of patients with pre-existing AF (34.5% in 1995; 41.6% in 2004) increased over time. New-onset and pre-existing AF were associated with older age, but pre-existing AF was more closely linked to a greater co-morbid disease burden. The use of HF therapies did not differ greatly by AF status. Despite this, new-onset AF was associated with a longer length of stay (7.5 vs 6.1 days) and greater in-hospital death rates (11.4% vs 6.6%). In contrast, pre-existing AF was associated with lower rates of postdischarge survival compared to patients with no AF (p <0.05 for all). The mortality rates improved significantly over time in patients with AF. In conclusion, AF was common among patients with ADHF, and the proportion of ADHF patients with co-occurring AF increased during the study period. Despite improving trends in survival, patients with ADHF and AF are at increased risk of in-hospital and postdischarge mortality.

Lack of evidence of increased mortality among patients with atrial fibrillation taking digoxin: findings from post hoc propensity-matched analysis of the AFFIRM trial

AIMS

Digoxin is recommended for long-term rate control in paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). While some analyses suggest an association of digoxin with a higher mortality in AF, the intrinsic nature of this association has not been examined in propensity-matched cohorts, which is the objective of the current study.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM), 4060 patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF were randomized to rate (n = 2027) vs. rhythm (n = 2033) control strategies. Of these, 1377 received digoxin as initial therapy and 1329 received no digoxin at baseline. Propensity scores for digoxin use were estimated for each of these 2706 patients and used to assemble a cohort of 878 pairs of patients receiving and not receiving digoxin, who were balanced on 59 baseline characteristics. Matched patients had a mean age of 70 years, 40% were women, and 11% non-white. During the 3.4 years of the mean follow-up, all-cause mortality occurred in 14 and 13% of matched patients receiving and not receiving digoxin, respectively [hazard ratio (HR) associated with digoxin use: 1.06; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.83-1.37; P = 0.640]. Among matched patients, digoxin had no association with all-cause hospitalization (HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.85-1.09; P = 0.510) or incident non-fatal cardiac arrhythmias (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.37-2.23; P = 0.827). Digoxin had no multivariable-adjusted or propensity score-adjusted associations with these outcomes in the pre-match cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF, we found no evidence of increased mortality or hospitalization in those taking digoxin as baseline initial therapy.