Treatment Of Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation Research Articles

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of warfarin anticoagulation and left atrial appendage transcatheter occlusion in the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation and investigation of ET-1, hs-CRP and PDGFs.

This study compared the therapeutic effect and safety between warfarin anticoagulation and percutaneous left atrial appendage transcatheter occlusion (PLAATO) in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). A total of 110 patients were selected and assigned to Control group (n=55) and Observation group (n=55). The control patients were used warfarin, while the observation patients were performed PLAATO. The coagulation function, stroke and bleeding scores were compared between the two groups at different times. Left ventricular function before therapy and 1 year after therapy and adverse events during follow-up were compared between the two groups. After one month of treatment, CHA2DS2-VASC, HAS-BLED score, serum ET-1 and hs-CRP levels were lower in the PLAATO patients than in warfarin patients, but serum PDGFs levels were higher than patients in the warfarin patients (P < 0.05). One month after treatment, the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT) of the PLAATO patients was longer than that of the warfarin patients (P < 0.05), but the levels of fibrinogen (FIB) in the PLAATO patients were lower than that of the warfarin patients (P < 0.05). In addition, one year after therapy, the left atrial end-diastolic volume (LAEDV), left atrial end-systolic volume (LAESV) and left atrial inner diameter of the two groups were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion can effectively improve the cardiac function and coagulation function of NVAF patients, with lower incidence of bleeding events, stroke events and higher safety.

Oral anticoagulants versus vitamin K antagonists in the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation in patients with stage 4-5 chronic kidney disease

Aim. To compare the effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with a vitamin K antagonist (VKA) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and stage 4 and 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD).Material and methods. We searched in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases from 1990 to 2022 for studies that compared DOACs with VKAs in patients with AF and stage 4 and 5 CKD. The patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) search strategy was used. Data were extracted by independent researchers and meta-analyzed.Results. A total of 6 studies were included in this meta-analysis. In terms of effectiveness, DOACs were comparable to VKAs. In terms of safety, DOACs and VKAs also had no statistical differences in hemorrhagic stroke, minor/gastrointestinal bleeding, overall mortality, but there was statistical significance in major bleeding. Conclusion. In terms of efficacy and safety, in general, DOACs were comparable to VKAs, but there were a number of following differences: the administration of DOACs to patients with stage 4 and 5 CKD, as well as those on hemodialysis, was accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of major bleedings, compared with warfarin therapy.

The progress of percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion: A bibliometric analysis from 1994 to 2022.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 32 million individuals worldwide. Although atrial fibrillation has been studied for decades, a comprehensive analysis using bibliometrics has not been performed for atrial fibrillation-left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO). Therefore, we analyzed the scientific outputs of global LAAO research and explored the current research status and hotpots from 1994 to 2022. We searched the Web of Science core collection for publications related to LAAO that were published between 1994 and 2022. We then performed bibliometric analysis and visualization using Microsoft Excel 2021, Bibliometric (https://bibliometric.com), VOSviewer (version 1.6.19), CiteSpace (version 6.2. R2), and the Bibliometrix 4.0.0 Package (https://www.bibliometrix.org) based on the R language were used to perform the bibliometric analysis, trend and emerging foci of LAAO in the past 29 years, including author, country, institution, journal distribution, article citations, and keywords. In total, we identified 1285 eligible publications in the field of LAAO, with an increasing trend in the annual number of publications. The United States is the country with the most published articles in this field, while the United Kingdom is the country with the most cited literature. Mayo Clinic, from the United States, has the most publications in this area and Horst Sievert from Germany had the highest number of individual publications. The analysis of keywords showed that fibrillation, stroke, safety, oral anticoagulants, and watchman were the main hotpots and frontier directions of LAAO. Surgical treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, upgrading of related surgical instruments, and anticoagulation regimen after surgical treatment are the major research frontiers. We show that the research of percutaneous LAAO has been increasing rapidly over the last decade. Our aim was to overview past studies in the field of LAAO, to grasp the frame of LAAO research, and identify new perspectives for future research.

Predicting Adverse Outcomes Following Catheter Ablation Treatment for Atrial Flutter/Fibrillation

To develop prognostic survival models for predicting adverse outcomes after catheter ablation treatment for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) and/or atrial flutter (AFL). We used a linked dataset including hospital administrative data, prescription medicine claims, emergency department presentations, and death registrations of patients in New South Wales, Australia. The cohort included patients who received catheter ablation for AF and/or AFL. Traditional and deep survival models were trained to predict major bleeding events and a composite of heart failure, stroke, cardiac arrest, and death. Out of a total of 3,285 patients in the cohort, 177 (5.3%) experienced the composite outcome-heart failure, stroke, cardiac arrest, death-and 167 (5.1%) experienced major bleeding events after catheter ablation treatment. Models predicting the composite outcome had high-risk discrimination accuracy, with the best model having a concordance index >0.79 at the evaluated time horizons. Models for predicting major bleeding events had poor risk discrimination performance, with all models having a concordance index <0.66. The most impactful features for the models predicting higher risk were comorbidities indicative of poor health, older age, and therapies commonly used in sicker patients to treat heart failure and AF and AFL. Diagnosis and medication history did not contain sufficient information for precise risk prediction of experiencing major bleeding events. Predicting the composite outcome yielded promising results, but future research is needed to validate the usefulness of these models in clinical practice. Machine learning models for predicting the composite outcome have the potential to enable clinicians to identify and manage high-risk patients following catheter ablation for AF and AFL proactively.

Influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients receiving oral anticoagulants for the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation

BackgroundFrequent monitoring of patients declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, harming patients with chronic diseases who critically needed correct monitoring. We evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) receiving treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in clinical practice in Spain. MethodsThis observational, retrospective study analyzed prevalent patients treated with NOAC/VKA on 14/03/2019 (pre-COVID-19 period) and 14/03/2020 (COVID-19 period), who were followed up to 12 months. The study also considered incident patients who started treatment with NOAC/VKA between 15/03/2019 and 13/03/2020 (pre-COVID-19 period) and from 15/03/2020 to 13/03/2021 (COVID-19 period). Demographic characteristics, comorbidities, effectiveness, treatment patterns, and healthcare resource utilization were considered. ResultsPrevalent patients amounted to 12,336 and 13,342 patients, whereas 1,612 and 1,602 incident patients were included in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods, respectively. Prevalent patients treated with VKA had more strokes, thromboembolism, and major bleeding compared to those receiving NOAC, particularly during the COVID-19 period. NOAC patients had a 12 % lower risk of death than those on treatment with VKA (Hazard ratio = 0.88 [95 % CI: 0.81 – 0.95], p = 0.033). In addition, VKA patients were less persistent after 12 months than NOAC patients (pre-COVID-19 period: 52.1 % vs. 78.9 %, p < 0.001; COVID-19 period: 49.2 % vs. 80.3 %, p < 0.001), and required more healthcare visits and hospitalizations than those on treatment with NOAC. ConclusionCompared to VKA, NOAC seems to have reduced the incidence of severe events and the use of healthcare resources for NVAF, particularly during the pandemic.

Resumption of oral anticoagulation in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation after intracerebral hemorrhage: A sub-analysis of the PASTA registry study

PurposeTo investigate the rate and timing of oral anticoagulant (OAC) resumption and its safety in patients after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in current clinical practice in Japan. MethodsWe conducted a sub-analysis of the PASTA registry, an observational, multicenter registry of 1043 patients with stroke receiving OACs in Japan, by including patients with ICH on OAC treatment for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). The clinical characteristics of the patients in the resumption and non-resumption groups, rate and timing of OAC resumption, its safety, and switching of OACs after ICH were investigated. ResultsOf the 160 patients (women, n = 52; median age, 77 years) included, OACs were resumed in 108 (68%) at a median of 7 days (interquartile range, 4–11) after acute ICH onset. The non-resumption group had higher rates of hematoma expansion (21.2% vs. 7.4%; P = 0.0118) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at discharge (4 (Suda et al., 2019; Steiner et al., 2014 [3, 4]) vs. 4 (Suda et al., 2019; Steiner et al., 2014; Pasquini et al., 2014 [3–5]); P = 0.0302}. The resumption rate in the mRS 0–4 group was higher than that in the mRS 5 group (75.2% vs. 46.5%; P = 0.00006). The number of days to resumption after ICH onset was longer in the mRS 5 than that in the mRS 0–4 group (median 12 days vs. 7 days, P = 0.0065). There were no significant differences in new-onset ICH, symptomatic hematoma expansion, or gastrointestinal bleeding between groups (P > 0.05). ConclusionsEarly resumption of OAC for NVAF in patients after ICH appeared to be safe. Expected functional outcomes at discharge were associated with OAC resumption and with the timing of resumption. Registrationhttps://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000034958

Management and Anticoagulation Treatment of Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation in Elderly Patients: The Dali Study.

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is associated with increased stroke in elderly populations, yet anticoagulant therapy is underutilized. We analyzed clinical characteristics and anticoagulation treatment rates of elderly NVAF patients hospitalized in Dali, China, to identify potential contributing factors. We collected data for 155 elderly patients with NVAF aged ≥60 years, from July 01, 2020, to December 31, 2021. We analyzed the awareness rate, clinical characteristics, and anticoagulant treatment rate of atrial fibrillation (AF), and identified factors influencing treatment. Patients were followed up one year after discharge to assess vital status, cardiovascular events, and anticoagulation therapy status. Among 155 patients, 52.26% were female, and the average age was 75.77 years. The awareness rate of AF was 47.74% at admission, and only 21.94% received anticoagulant therapy. After discharge, the rate of anticoagulant therapy significantly increased to 70.97%, and 89.09% used new oral anticoagulants. Thromboembolic history and persistent AF predicted anticoagulant therapy at discharge, while male gender, previous bleeding history, and antiplatelet therapy predicted non-anticoagulant therapy. Out of 133 patients who completed a one-year follow-up, 23.31% died, 3.01% had strokes, and 3.01% experienced bleeding. Anticoagulant therapy decreased to 51.96% during the follow-up year. Our findings highlight the low awareness rate and anticoagulant treatment rate, and high mortality among elderly NVAF patients in Dali. The development of comprehensive intervention strategies is critical to standardize AF management and improve prognosis.

Epidemiology, Trends, Utilization Disparities, and Outcomes of Catheter Ablation and Its Association With Coronary Vasospasm Amongst Patients With Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Burden of Last Decade.

Catheter ablation (CA) is an important curative treatment for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), however, nationwide data on its utilization and disparities is limited. Coronary vasospasm is arare, life-threatening, peri-operativecomplication of CA with limited literature in Caucasians. We performed a retrospective study on adult hospitalizations in the USA from 2007 to 2017 by obtaining the data from National Inpatient Sample.The primary endpoints of our study were to identify the utilization rate of CA, disparities in utilization, and study the outcomes associated with CA. The secondary endpoints of the study were to identify the incidence of coronary vasospasm amongst patientswho underwent CA, evaluate their association, and identify the predictors of coronary vasospasm. From 35,906,946 patients with NVAF, 343641 (0.96%) underwent CA. Its utilization decreased from 1% in 2007 to 0.71% in 2017. Patients who underwent CA, compared to those without CA, fared better in terms of hospital length of stay, mortality rate, disability rate, and discharge to the non-home facility. Patients in the 50-75 years age group, Native Americans, those with private insurance, and median household income of 76-100th percentile were associated with higher odds of CA utilization. Urban teaching hospitals and large-bedded hospitals performed more ablations, while the Mid-West region fared lower than the South, the West, and the Northeast. The prevalence of coronary vasospasm was higher amongst CA in comparison without CA, however, in regression analysis, no significant association was demonstrated between CA and coronary vasospasm. CA is an important treatment modality that is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Identification of factors associated with lower utilization of CA and its disparities will help to mitigate the burden associated with NVAF.

EE457 Major Ischemic or Hemorrhagic Events and Associated Costs Among Anticoagulated Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation in US Health Plans

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is a cardiovascular condition affecting approximately 1% of the United States (US) population and is associated with substantial clinical burden. Current practice guidelines recommend anticoagulants as treatment for NVAF, with direct oral anticoagulants such as apixaban and rivaroxaban having superior adverse event profiles as compared to warfarin. Two comparative effectiveness and safety analyses of apixaban and rivaroxaban among NVAF patients in the US were recently published. Applying findings from these analyses, costs of major ischemic and haemorrhagic events were estimated for apixaban and rivaroxaban from a US payer perspective.

Barriers to Guideline-Directed Anticoagulation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: New Approaches to an Old Problem.

Optimising guideline-directed anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation remains a perennial problem despite strong evidence for improved health outcomes with guideline-directed use of anticoagulation. Efforts to improve uptake have been hampered by barriers found at the level of the physician, patient, disease, and choice of therapy. Clinician judgement is often clouded by factors such as therapeutic inertia, aversion to bleeding risk, and implicit bias. For patients, negative preconceptions of therapy, impact of therapy on day-to-day life, and the nocebo effect pose significant barriers. Both groups are affected by poor education. Utility of a single-pronged approach directed toward clinicians or patients have demonstrated variable success, with the highest impact appreciated in studies using shared-decision models. Furthermore, there is emerging evidence for use of integrated models of care, which have shown improved efficacy in improving patient outcomes, as well as use of digital platforms such as mobile app-based interventions, which can be of aid to the clinician in improving patient adherence to anticoagulation, with translated improved outcomes in clinical trials. This narrative review article aims to investigate the physician and health system, patient, and drug therapy and disease barriers to uptake of guideline-directed anticoagulation in treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Safety and Efficacy Re-Evaluation of Edoxaban and Rivaroxaban Dosing With Plasma Concentration Monitoring in Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation: With Observations of On-Label and Off-Label Dosing.

Background: Off-label dosing of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) as a treatment for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is problematic. Here, we investigated the status of rivaroxaban and edoxaban dosing by monitoring plasma concentrations (PCs). Methods and Results: We monitored drug PCs in 391 and 333 outpatients receiving rivaroxaban and edoxaban, respectively, for NVAF. Drug doses were adjusted if the PC was above the cut-off value (rivaroxaban: 404 ng/mL; edoxaban: 402 ng/mL), determined from receiver operating characteristic curves for predicting bleeding events. On-label standard dosing was reduced to off-label underdosing due to high PCs above the cut-off more often for rivaroxaban (28.1%) than edoxaban (12.6%; P<0.001). Over a median follow-up of 13 months for rivaroxaban and 10 months for edoxaban, the annual incidence of bleeding events was higher with rivaroxaban than with edoxaban (4.88 vs. 3.73 patient-years; P<0.05), although no thromboembolic events occurred in either group. Furthermore, for patients with creatinine clearance >50 mL/min and body weight ≤60 kg, there was a greater incidence of bleeding events with rivaroxaban on-label 15 mg dosing than with edoxaban on-label 30 mg dosing (22.2% vs 2.9%; P<0.01). Conclusions: Monitoring the PCs of rivaroxaban and edoxaban in NVAF patients enables dose adjustments to reduce bleeding risk. The incidence of bleeding under drug PC monitoring was less in the edoxaban than rivaroxaban group.

Pharmacogenetics of warfarin dosing in Chinese adults with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

The guide for the use of genotype-guided warfarin dosing in patients for the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is still lacking. We aimed to evaluate whether genotype-guided warfarin dosing is superior to conventional clinical dosing for the outcomes of interest in Chinese patients. Our study consisted of 508 newly recruited and 471 existing Chinese AF patients. Among the total 979 patients, 585 patients received their dose of warfarin determined by a genetic and clinical factor (gene group), while the remaining 394 patients whose dosing was determined empirically in control group. We incorporated CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotypes into the gene group. The international normalized ratio (INR) measurement and standard protocols were used for further dose adjustment in both groups. The primary outcomes were the percentage of time in the therapeutic range (%TTR) and INR during 12-month follow-up. Secondary safety outcome included bleeding and thrombotic events. Compared with the control group, the average TTR of the gene group was higher [68.4 ± 20.6% vs 48.5 ± 21.6%, P < 0.001]. The average INR monitoring times to reach the therapeutic time in the gene group was lower (P < 0.001). The risk ratios (RR) for cumulative incidence of total bleeding events, minor bleeding events, gastrointestinal bleeding, and intracerebral bleeding events were not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). Comparing to the analysis using existing 471 patients, the analysis using total 979 patients showed that the gene group experienced a lower (RR 0.4 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.8), P = 0.008) incidence of cumulative ischemic stroke. Genotype-guided warfarin administration increases the average TTR, reaches higher TTR levels in the early anticoagulant phase, and significantly reduces the risk of ischemic stroke events.

Clinical Application Value of Catheter Ablation Combined with Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia with high incidence in clinic. With the rapid development of medical technology, interventional therapy for non-valvular atrial fibrillation has gradually matured and been widely used in clinic in recent years. However, the long-term effect of patients after treatment is not ideal, which leads to a greater risk of stroke and heart failure. Catheter ablation is an effective means to restore and maintain sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation, but its effect in improving stroke needs to be improved. Left atrial appendage occlusion is a minimally invasive technique in clinic, which can replace anticoagulants in the treatment of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and effectively reduce the risk of stroke and bleeding. This thesis will review the development of catheter ablation combined with left atrial appendage occlusion in one-stop treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Traditional Chinese exercise for non-valvular atrial fibrillation: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Traditional Chinese exercises have become an important part of cardiac rehabilitation. It can coordinate the essence, qi, and spirit of the human body, and has the functions of promoting joints, stretching muscles and bones, ventilating and blood circulation, so as to achieve the balance between hardness and softness, and between yin and yang. We hope that the research results based on systematic review and meta-analysis will provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) with traditional Chinese exercise. The systematic review will be performed according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The protocol is being reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols Statement. An literature search strategy will be developed and adapted for 9 databases. Searches will be run from the database inception until the date of the search implementation and be updated before the review is completed. Meta analysis will be performed using Review Manager 5.3 and R packages. This protocol introduces a systematic review and meta-analysis of traditional Chinese exercises in the treatment of nonvalvular AF and will clarify the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese exercises in the treatment of AF. This will further provide theoretical support for clinical treatment of AF.

RWD82 Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients Receiving Oral Anticoagulants for the Treatment of Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with NVAF receiving anticoagulant treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) or new direct-acting oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in clinical practice in Spain.

Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Warfarin Among Adults With Cancer and Atrial Fibrillation.

While clinical guidelines recommend direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOAC) over warfarin to treat isolated nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, guidelines are silent regarding nonvalvular atrial fibrillation treatment among individuals with cancer, reflecting the paucity of evidence in this setting. We quantified relative risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism and major bleeding (primary outcomes), and all-cause and cardiovascular death (secondary outcomes) among older individuals with cancer and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation comparing DOACs and warfarin. This retrospective cohort study used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry and linked US Medicare data from 2010 through 2016, and included individuals diagnosed with cancer and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation who newly initiated DOAC or warfarin. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting to control confounding. We used competing risk regression for primary outcomes and cardiovascular death, and Cox proportional hazard regression for all-cause death. Among 7675 individuals included in the cohort, 4244 (55.3%) received DOACs and 3431 (44.7%) warfarin. In the inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis, there was no statistically significant difference among DOAC and warfarin users in the risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism (1.24 versus 1.19 events per 100 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 1.41 [95% CI, 0.92-2.14]), major bleeding (3.08 versus 4.49 events per 100 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 0.90 [95% CI, 0.70-1.17]), and cardiovascular death (1.88 versus 3.14 per 100 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 0.82 [95% CI, 0.59-0.1.13]). DOAC users had significantly lower risk of all-cause death (7.09 versus 13.3 per 100 person-years, adjusted hazard ratio 0.81 [95% CI, 0.69-0.94]) compared to warfarin users. Older adults with cancer and atrial fibrillation exposed to DOACs had similar risks of stroke and systemic embolism and major bleeding as those exposed to warfarin. Relative to warfarin, DOAC use was associated with a similar risk of cardiovascular death and a lower risk of all-cause death.

Abstract 13427: Bleeding in Morbidly Obese Patients Treated With Direct Oral Anticoagulants Compared to Warfarin: The Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement Initiative Experience

Introduction: Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) have overtaken warfarin in the treatment of non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, there is very limited data that explores the safety of DOACs for patients that are morbidly obese (BMI &gt;40). Methods: In this multi-center retrospective study, we sought to use the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement registry (MAQI) to see how treatment of non-valvular AF or VTE with DOAC vs. warfarin affects bleeding in morbidly obese patients. Specifically, we compared average major, clinically relevant non-major (CRNM), and minor bleeding events per 100 patient years that were adjusted for statistically significant baseline characteristics (p&lt;0.05). Results: There were a total of 1028 patients with BMI &gt;40 included in the registry between June 2015 and September 2019. 434 patients were treated with DOACs, while 594 patients were treated with warfarin. Baseline characteristics between the two groups included age (61.5 vs 57.8, p&lt;0.001), gender (63.6% vs 61.1% female, p=0.42), race (76.5% vs 64.3% white, p&lt;0.001), and HAS-BLED score (2.3 vs 2.3, p=0.96). The DOAC treated group had a higher event rate of major (4.3 vs 3.7, p=0.006), CRNM (10.7 vs. 7.4, p=0.002), and minor bleeding (19.1 vs. 13.2 p&lt;0.001) compared to the warfarin treated group. Conclusions: There is a higher rate of major, CRNM, and minor bleeding in morbidly obese patients treated with DOAC compared to warfarin. Further studies to compare the two anticoagulants and understand bleeding drivers in this population are needed.

Left atrial strain for predicting recurrence in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation: a single-center two-dimensional speckle tracking retrospective study

BackgroundAlthough catheter ablation (CA) is an effective treatment for non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), a good many of patients still have a recurrence following post-operation. Prediction of AF recurrence by evaluating left atrial (LA) phase function with speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) may be helpful for risk stratification and clinical management for AF patients. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the prognostic value of LA strains in non-valvular AF patients after CA.MethodsA total of 95 non-valvular AF patients (70.5% paroxysmal AF, 56.8% males, mean age 63.2 ± 9.7 years) were included in this retrospective study between October 2019 and August 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in all the subjects and STE was used to analyze the LA reservoir strain (LASr), LA conduit strain (LAScd) and LA contractile strain (LASct) during different phases before CA. Patients were followed up with until January 2022. The endpoint was AF recurrence.ResultsOver a median follow-up period of 26.0 months (interquartile range, 24.7–26.7 months), 26 patients experienced recurrence and 69 stayed in sinus rhythm. Compared with no-recurrence group, maximum volume of LA (LAVmax), minimum volume of LA (LAVmin) and LA volume index (LAVI) were increased in the recurrence group, while LAEF, LASr and LASct were worsened (P < 0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that LASct was an independent predictor of AF recurrence (odds ratio, 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.82–0.97; P = 0.007) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed an area under the curve of LASct<8% was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.59–0.79; P = 0.0008).ConclusionsLASct was of independent predictive value of AF recurrence. LA function assessed by STE may contribute to the risk stratification for AF patients and selection of suitable patients for CA.

The Value of Rivaroxaban Combined with Ticagrelor in Antithrombotic Therapy after PCI in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Based on a retrospective cohort study, to investigate the value of rivaroxaban combined with ticagrelor in antithrombotic therapy after PCI in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation with acute coronary syndrome. A total of 60 patients from January 2019 to May 2021 accepted therapy with antithrombotic therapy after PCI. The patients treated with ticagrelor were set as the control group, and those given rivaroxaban combined with ticagrelor were set as the research group. The curative effect, myocardial level, TIMI blood flow grade, platelet aggregation rate, and the incidence of cardiovascular events were taken from the comparisons. The research group's therapeutic impact was superior to the control group's therapeutic impact, and the value was higher. After treatment, the myocardial levels of the two groups decreased, and the levels of troponin I, creatine kinase isoenzyme, and hypersensitive C-reactive protein in the research group were greatly less than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After operation, the TIMI blood flow classification in the experimental group was better than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The experimental group's platelet aggregation incidence was considerably lower than the control group's platelet aggregation incidence at 0.5 and 2 hours following surgery, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The incidence of acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic death, and intractable angina pectoris in the research group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Rivaroxaban combined with ticagrelor in the treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation with acute coronary syndrome after percutaneous coronary intervention; the TIMI blood flow grade is better than ticagrelor, which is of great significance to reduce mortality and has high safety in clinical application.

Trends in oral anticoagulant prescription in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in Flanders and the impact of switching patients from vitamin K antagonists to DOACS in terms of the burden caused by complications of the disease: a registry-based study

ABSTRACT Context Since the introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for the treatment of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (Afib), oral anticoagulants (OACs) prescription has evolved. Aim We aim first to explore the OACs prescription behaviour in Flanders from 2002 to 2019 before exploring the impact of switching patients from vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) to DOACs in terms of the burden caused by stroke as a complication of non-valvular Afib. Methods Data were obtained from INTEGO, a Flemish, general practice-based morbidity registration network. Comprised patients had at least one visit to their GP per year between 2002 and 2019 and a follow-up of at least 1 year after the diagnosis of Afib. Public prices were retrieved from the Belgian Centre for Pharmacotherapeutic Information (BCFI) and the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (RIZIV/ INAMI) sites. The number of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) was based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) literature. The calculation of the Number Needed to Switch (NNSw) was the basis for conducting cost-utility analyses accounting for the global benefit in terms of the cost of prevented stroke/DALY and the cost of switching Flemish ≥ 65 years patients from VKAs to DOACs in two scenarios. Results Increased DOAC use has been observed since 2012. The incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs) yielded 553 to 824 €/DALY of prevented stroke. Conclusion In this registry-based study, we found a significant positive trend in OAC use in Flanders between 2002 and 2019. Switching to DOACs seems cost-effective compared to a threshold of 20000€/DALY.