Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: A Scientific Statement of JACC: Asia (Part 1)

The association between antithrombotic drug regimen changes and clinical outcomes after stroke in atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND

The impact of post-stroke antithrombotic regimen in atrial fibrillation (AF) is uncertain.

OBJECTIVE

To describe antithrombotic therapy prescribing patterns following ischemic stroke, and its impact on outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 23,165 AF patients experiencing ischemic stroke were identified. Subsequent post-stroke events included recurrent ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), major bleeding, mortality, and composite outcomes.

RESULTS

Among those who were non-anticoagulated before a stroke, 33.5% remained non-anticoagulated and 39.2% were prescribed only antiplatelets (AP) post-stroke. Compared to NOACs post-stroke, there was a significant increase in ischemic stroke and mortality in non-anticoagulated (aHRs 2.09 and 3.92) and antiplatelet users (aHRs 1.32 and 1.28). Post-stroke warfarin was associated with a significantly incresaed risk of major bleeding compared to NOACs (aHR 1.23). Among 769 patients receiving NOACs before stroke and continuing NOAC post-stroke, those switching to a different NOAC were associated with significantly higher risk of ischemic stroke (aHR 2.07) and composite outcomes (aHRs 1.36-1.85) with no difference in ICH, major bleeding or mortality compared to those on the same NOAC post-stroke. Among patients receiving NOACs before stroke, the risks of clinical events were similar between patients on NOACs alone and those on NOAC plus AP post-stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

NOAC alone post-stroke was associated with a better clinical outcome compared to non-anticoagulation, AP or warfarin. Among patients already taking NOACs before stroke, the addition of AP didn't confer additional benefits compared to NOACs alone. A change of NOAC types post-stroke was associated with a two-fold higher risk of ischemic stroke and composite outcomes.

A real-world study of different doses of rivaroxaban in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation

To explore the anticoagulant effect and safety of utilizing different doses of rivaroxaban for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in the real world. A retrospective case-control analysis was performed by applying the hospital database, and 3595 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who were hospitalized and taking rivaroxaban at Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital and Wuhan Asia General Hospital from March 2018 to December 2021 were included in the study, and were divided into the rivaroxaban 10 mg and 15 mg groups according to the daily prescribed dose, of which 443 cases were in the 10 mg group and 3152 cases were in the 15 mg group. The patients were followed up regularly, and the incidence of thrombotic events, bleeding events and all-cause deaths were recorded and compared between the 2 groups, and logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors for the occurrence of adverse events. Comparison of the incidence of thrombosis, bleeding and all-cause death between the 2 groups of patients showed that the 10 mg group was higher than the 15 mg group, but the difference was not statistically significant (χ2 = 0.36, 3.26, 1.99, all P > .05); the incidence of total adverse events between the 2 groups of patients was higher in the 10 mg group than in the 15 mg group, with a statistically significant difference (χ2 = 4.53, P = .033); multifactorial logistic regression results showed that age [OR (95% CI) = 1.02 (1.00-1.04)], diabetes mellitus [OR (95% CI) = 1.69 (1.09-2.62)], D-dimer level [OR (95% CI) = 1.06 (1.00-1.11)] and persistent AF [OR (95% CI) = 1.54 (1.03-2.31)] were risk factors for adverse events (P < .05). In the real world, Asian clinicians recommend rivaroxaban 10 mg once daily for NVAF patients for a variety of reasons; however, this dose is not superior or even inferior to the 15 mg group in terms of effectiveness and safety. Advanced age, elevated D-dimer levels, history of diabetes mellitus, and persistent AF are risk factors for adverse events, and the optimal dosage of rivaroxaban or optimal anticoagulation strategy for Asian patients with nonvalvular AF requires further study.

Edoxaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and factors associated with dosing: patient characteristics from the prospective observational ETNA-AF-China registry

Real-world data on effectiveness and safety of a single non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant in the Chinese population with atrial fibrillation (AF) are limited. This study reports characteristics of patients treated with edoxaban and factors associated with dosing patterns from routine care in China. ETNA-AF-China (NCT04747496) is a multicentre, prospective, observational study enrolling edoxaban-treated patients from four economic regions with a targeted 2-year follow-up. Of the 4930 patients with AF (mean age: 70.2 ± 9.5 years; male, 57.1%), the mean creatinine clearance (CrCl), CHA2DS2-VASc, and HAS-BLED scores were 71.2 mL/min, 2.9, and 1.6. Overall, 6.4% of patients were perceived as frail by investigators. Available label dose reduction criteria (N = 4232) revealed that 3278 (77.5%) patients received recommended doses and 954 (22.5%) non-recommended doses. Northeast (53.0%) and West (43.1%) regions had the highest prescriptions of 60 mg and 30 mg recommended doses, respectively. Non-recommended 30 mg doses were more frequently prescribed in patients with antiplatelet use and history of heart failure than recommended 60 mg. Multivariate analysis identified advanced age as the strongest associated factor with non-recommended doses. Frailty had the strongest association with 30 mg except for age, and history of TIA was the most relevant factor associated with 60 mg. In conclusion, patients in the ETNA-AF-China study were predominantly aged 65 years and older, had mild-to-moderate renal impairment and good label adherence. Advanced age was associated with non-recommended doses, with frailty most common for non-recommended 30 mg and a history of TIA for the non-recommended 60 mg dose.

Atrial fibrillation: stroke prevention

Stroke prevention is central to the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) which has moved towards a more holistic or integrative care approach. The published evidence suggests that management of AF patients following such a holistic approach based on the Atrial fibrillation Better Care (ABC) pathway is associated with a lower risk of stroke and adverse events. Risk assessment, re-assessment and use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are important for stroke prevention in AF. The stroke and bleeding risks of AF patients are not static and should be re-assessed regularly. Bleeding risk assessment is to address and mitigate modifiable bleeding risk factors, and to identify high bleeding risk patients for early review and follow-up. Well-controlled comorbidities and healthy lifestyles also play an important role to achieve a better clinical outcome. Digital health solutions are increasingly relevant in the diagnosis and management of patients with AF, with the potential to improve stroke prevention. In this review, we provide an update on stroke prevention in AF, including importance of holistic management, risk assessment/re-assessment, and stroke prevention for special AF populations. Evidence-based and structured management of AF patients would reduce the risk of stroke and other adverse events.

Early experiences with edoxaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation in the Southeast Asia region

Edoxaban, a once-daily, direct-acting oral anticoagulant, is approved to prevent stroke or systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and treat venous thromboembolism. The clinical benefit of edoxaban for stroke prevention in Asian patients with NVAF has been demonstrated in clinical and real-world studies. We share early clinical experiences with once-daily edoxaban and discuss its evidence-based use in patients with NVAF in Southeast Asia through several cases of patients at high risk, including frail patients, elderly patients with multiple comorbidities and patients with increased bleeding risk. These cases demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of once-daily edoxaban in patients with NVAF in Southeast Asia.

Integrated Care for Atrial Fibrillation Using the ABC Pathway in the Prospective APHRS-AF Registry

Background

The Atrial Fibrillation Better Care (ABC) has been proposed as an integrated approach to improve management in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), based on 3 pillars: "A" Avoid stroke with Anticoagulation; "B" Better symptoms control; "C" Cardiovascular risk-factor and comorbidities management.

Objectives

This study sought to investigate the association with outcomes of ABC adherence in the prospective multinational Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) Atrial Fibrillation registry.

Method

Cox-regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, CHA2DS2-VASc score, paroxysmal AF, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, cancer, dyslipidemia, and dementia were performed to investigate the association with outcomes. Primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death, any thromboembolic events, acute coronary syndrome or percutaneous interventional procedures, and advancing heart failure.

Results

Of the 4,013 included patients with AF (mean age 68 ± 12 years; 34.4% female); 38.6% were adherent to all 3 main ABC pillars. After 1 year of follow-up, adherence to the ABC pathway was associated with a low incidence of composite outcome (4.0% vs 8.5%, P < 0.001), all-cause and cardiovascular death, and advancing heart failure. On Cox regression analysis, ABC adherence was associated with a lower risk of primary outcome (HR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.53-0.97), with risk reduction progressively higher with a higher number of ABC criteria attained. No significant interaction in the association was seen according to the different geographic areas (Pint = 0.217).

Conclusions

In a large contemporary cohort of Asian patients with AF, adherence to ABC pathway was associated with a reduction of the risk for adverse outcomes. (Clinical Survey on the Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation in Asia (AF-Registry; NCT04807049).

Diagnostic validation of smart wearable device embedded with single-lead electrocardiogram for arrhythmia detection

Objective

To validate a single-lead electrocardiogram algorithm for identifying atrial fibrillation, atrial premature beats, ventricular premature beats, and sinus rhythm.

Methods

A total of 656 subjects aged 19 to 94 years were enrolled. Participants were simultaneously tested with a wristwatch (Huawei Watch GT2 Pro, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Shenzhen, China) and a 12-lead electrocardiogram for 3 minutes. A total of 1926 electrocardiogram signals from 628 subjects (282 men and 346 women) aged 19 to 94 years (median 64 years) were analyzed using an algorithm.

Results

The numbers of subjects with atrial fibrillation, atrial premature beats, ventricular premature beats, and sinus rhythm were 129, 141, 107, and 251, respectively, and together they had a total of 1926 electrocardiogram signals. For the three-class classification system, the recall, precision, and F1 score were 97.6%, 96.5%, 97.0% for sinus rhythm; 96.7%, 96.9%, 96.8% for atrial fibrillation; and 92.8%, 94.2%, 93.5% for ectopic beats, respectively. The macro-F1 score of the three-class classification system was 95.8%. For the four-class classification system, the recall, precision, and F1 score were 97.6%, 96.5%, 97.0% for sinus rhythm; 96.7%, 96.9%, 96.8% for atrial fibrillation; 90.5%, 89.4%, 89.9% for atrial premature beats; and 86.1%, 89.6%, 87.8% for ventricular premature beats, respectively. The macro-F1 score of the four-class classification system was 92.9%.

Conclusions

The single-lead electrocardiogram algorithm embedded into smart wearables demonstrated good performance in detecting atrial fibrillation, atrial/ventricular premature beats, and sinus rhythm, and thus would facilitate atrial fibrillation screening and management.