Trends in treatment and outcomes of atrial fibrillation during 2007-2017 in Finland.

Abstract

Guidelines on the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) have evolved significantly during the past two decades, but the concurrent developments in real-life management and prognosis of AF are unknown. We assessed trends in the treatment and outcomes of patients with incident AF between 2007 and 2017. The registry-based nationwide FinACAF (Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation) cohort covers all patients with AF in Finland from all levels of care. We determined the proportion of patients who were treated with oral anticoagulants (OACs) or rhythm control therapies, experienced an ischemic stroke or bleeding event requiring hospitalization, or died within a one-year follow-up after AF diagnosis. We identified 206,909 patients (mean age 72.6 years) with incident AF. During the study period, use of OACs increased from 43.6 to 76.3%, and the increase was most evident in patients with at least moderate stroke risk. One-year mortality decreased from 13.3 to 10.6%, and the ischemic stroke rate from 5.3 to 2.2%. The prognosis especially improved in patients over 75 years of age. Concurrently, a small increase in major bleeding events was observed. Use of catheter ablation increased continuously over the study period, but use of other rhythm-control therapies decreased after 2013. Stroke prevention with OACs in patients with incident AF improved considerably from 2007 to 2017 in Finland. This development was accompanied by decreasing one-year mortality and the reduction of the ischemic stroke rate by more than half, particularly among elderly patients, whereas there was only slight increase in severe bleeding events.