ABSTRACT
Background@#Although rhythm control could be the best for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), some patients fail to achieve sinus rhythm (SR). This study aimed to identify clinical risk factors of failed electrical cardioversion (ECV). @*Methods@#A total of 248 patients who received ECV for persistent AF or atrial flutter (AFL) were retrospectivelyreviewed. Patients were divided into three groups: Group 1 maintained SR for > 1 year, group 2 maintained SR ≤ 1 yearafter ECV, and group 3 failed ECV. SR maintenance was assessed using regular electrocardiography or Holter monitoring. @*Results@#Patients were divided into group 1 (73, 29%), group 2 (146, 59%), and group 3 (29, 12%). The mean ageof patients was 60 ± 10 years, and 197 (79%) were male. Age, sex, and baseline characteristics were similar amonggroups. However, increased cardiac size, digoxin use, heart failure (HF), and decreased left ventricular ejection frac‑ tion (LVEF) were more common in group 3. Univariate analysis of clinical risk factors for failed ECV was increasedcardiac size [hazard ratio (HR) 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–4.34, p = 0.030)], digoxin use [HR 2.66 (95% CI, 1.15–6.14), p = 0.027], HF [HR 2.60 (95% CI, 1.32–5.09), p = 0.005], LVEF < 40% [HR 3.45 (95% CI, 1.00–11.85), p = 0.038], and decreased LVEF [HR 2.49 (95% CI, 1.18–5.25), p = 0.012]. Among them, HF showed clinical significance only by multivariate analysis [HR 3.01 (95% CI, 1.13–7.99), p = 0.027]. @*Conclusions@#Increased cardiac size, digoxin use, HF, LVEF < 40%, and decreased LVEF were related to failed ECV for persistent AF or AFL. Among these, HF was the most important risk factor. Further multi-center studies including greater number of participants are planned.
ABSTRACT
For almost 20 years, data regarding the effect of rhythm control therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) on cardiovascular prognosis in comparison with rate control therapy has not been conclusive. The safety of rhythm control and anticoagulation therapy has generally improved. Recently, it was revealed that a rhythm-control strategy reduced the risk of adverse cardiovascular events than usual rate control in patients with recent AF (diagnosed within 1 year). Within 1 year after the AF diagnosis, early initiation of rhythm control led to more favorable cardiovascular outcomes than rate control. Early rhythm control reduced the risks of stroke and heart failure-related admission than rate control. Moreover, rhythm control was associated with lower dementia risk than rate control. Finally, early rhythm control treatment was also effective in patients with asymptomatic AF but less effective in older adults. Therefore, in patients with AF, rhythm control should be considered at earlier stages, regardless of symptom.
ABSTRACT
Background@#Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has not been well studied in Asian countries. This study investigated the temporal trends in the incidence and outcomes of SCA and the impact of age, gender, economic state, and urbaniza‑ tion on SCA using a nationwide population-based sample cohort of South Korea. @*Methods@#In the Korean National Health Insurance Service—Sample Cohort consisting of one million persons from 2003 through 2013, we identified 5,675 (0.56%) patients with SCA using ICD-10 code I46 and I49.0. We evaluated the impact of the age, gender, household income, and urbanization level on the incidence and outcome of SCA. @*Results@#During the study period, the overall age- and gender-adjusted annual incidence of SCA increased by 46.9% from 30.9 in 2003 to 45.4 in 2013 (per 100,000 person-years, p < 0.001 for trend). The medical cost per 100,000 personyears also greatly increased about four times (p < 0.001 for trend). The overall adjusted survival to hospital discharge rate increased from 8.9% in 2003 to 13.2% in 2013 (adjusted rate ratio per year 1.05; p < 0.001 for trend). Old age and low household incomes of the population was related to increased SCA and poor survival to hospital discharge rate. The proportion of patients with intensive or advanced therapeutic modalities after SCA greatly increased from 1.6% in 2003 to 10.0% in 2013 (p < 0.001 for trend). This increase was consistent regardless of age, gender, economic state, and urbanization level. @*Conclusions@#Although the incidence of SCA was increased, the outcome was improved for the decade. However, in the elderly and low-income population, the incidence of SCA continued to rise and survival outcome was not improved.
ABSTRACT
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of arrhythmia in the elderly population and increases stroke risk by a factor of 4- to 5-fold. There is increasing evidence to suggest that incident AF may contribute to the development of dementia, independent of overt stroke. In particular, relatively younger patients with AF are more prone to dementia development than older patients with AF. Evidence is accumulating regarding the possible treatment strategies for preventing dementia in patients with AF. Oral anticoagulation may be effective for reducing the risk of dementia, even in patients with low stroke risks. Among oral anticoagulants, the use of non-vitamin K antagonists have been associated with a considerably decreased risk of dementia than warfarin. Moreover, successful catheter ablation for AF has also been associated with decreased dementia risk compared to medical therapy, suggesting that restoration of sinus rhythm, and not the ablation procedure itself, as the important mechanism in the prevention of AF-associated dementia. Among midlife patients with AF, there appeared to be a U-shaped association of blood pressure (BP) and a linear association of hypertension with dementia risk.A BP of 120 to 129/80 to 84 mmHg has been identified as the optimal range. Finally, integrated management of AF was associated with a reduced risk of dementia in AF patients.
ABSTRACT
Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly population, has been associated with an impairment of cognitive function and an increased risk of dementia. Even though there does not appear to be solid evidence that any specific treatment prevents or delays AF-associated cognitive decline, evidence is accumulating regarding the possible treatment strategies for preventing dementia. Oral anticoagulation, especially non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants rather than warfarin use, has been suggested to be associated with reduced risk of dementia. Successfully maintaining sinus rhythm using catheter ablation might be also helpful in preventing subsequent dementia in patients with AF. In this review, we critically appraise the proposed treatment strategies for preventing AF-associated cognitive decline.
ABSTRACT
Background@#We aimed to investigate the comparative risk of fracture among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with warfarin or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). @*Methods@#Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, patients with AF who received a prescrip‑ tion for apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin between 2013 and 2016 were included. Risk of major fractures (osteoporotic hip, vertebral, or pelvic fractures) were compared using inverse probability of treatment weighting. @*Results@#There were 70,481 patients identified (41.3% women; mean [SD] age 70.5 [11.3] years); 16,992 apixaban, 22,514 dabigatran, 27,998 rivaroxaban, and 29,390 warfarin users. During a median follow-up of 390 days, 2412 major fractures occurred with weighted incidences per 100 patient-years of 2.56 for apixaban, 2.39 for dabigatran, 2.78 for rivaroxaban, and 3.43 for warfarin. NOAC use was associated with a lower risk for fracture than warfarin use: HR 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57–0.86) for apixaban, HR 0.69 (95% CI 0.60–0.78) for dabigatran, and HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.70–0.90) for rivaroxaban. In head-to-head comparisons between NOACs, there was no significant difference between apixaban and dabigatran. Rivaroxaban was associated with a higher risk for fracture than dabigatran (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.31). @*Conclusion@#In patients with AF, NOAC use may result in a lower risk for osteoporotic fracture compared with warfa‑ rin use. Fracture risk does not seem to be altered by the choice of NOAC type, except for rivaroxaban. These associa‑ tions may help inform benefit–risk assessments when choosing between the different anticoagulant types.
ABSTRACT
Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the elderly population, has been associated with an impairment of cognitive function and an increased risk of dementia. Even though there does not appear to be solid evidence that any specific treatment prevents or delays AF-associated cognitive decline, evidence is accumulating regarding the possible treatment strategies for preventing dementia. Oral anticoagulation, especially non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants rather than warfarin use, has been suggested to be associated with reduced risk of dementia. Successfully maintaining sinus rhythm using catheter ablation might be also helpful in preventing subsequent dementia in patients with AF. In this review, we critically appraise the proposed treatment strategies for preventing AF-associated cognitive decline.
ABSTRACT
Background@#We aimed to investigate the comparative risk of fracture among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with warfarin or non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). @*Methods@#Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, patients with AF who received a prescrip‑ tion for apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, or warfarin between 2013 and 2016 were included. Risk of major fractures (osteoporotic hip, vertebral, or pelvic fractures) were compared using inverse probability of treatment weighting. @*Results@#There were 70,481 patients identified (41.3% women; mean [SD] age 70.5 [11.3] years); 16,992 apixaban, 22,514 dabigatran, 27,998 rivaroxaban, and 29,390 warfarin users. During a median follow-up of 390 days, 2412 major fractures occurred with weighted incidences per 100 patient-years of 2.56 for apixaban, 2.39 for dabigatran, 2.78 for rivaroxaban, and 3.43 for warfarin. NOAC use was associated with a lower risk for fracture than warfarin use: HR 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.57–0.86) for apixaban, HR 0.69 (95% CI 0.60–0.78) for dabigatran, and HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.70–0.90) for rivaroxaban. In head-to-head comparisons between NOACs, there was no significant difference between apixaban and dabigatran. Rivaroxaban was associated with a higher risk for fracture than dabigatran (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.02–1.31). @*Conclusion@#In patients with AF, NOAC use may result in a lower risk for osteoporotic fracture compared with warfa‑ rin use. Fracture risk does not seem to be altered by the choice of NOAC type, except for rivaroxaban. These associa‑ tions may help inform benefit–risk assessments when choosing between the different anticoagulant types.
ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Cardiovascular health (CVH) status is associated with several cardiovascular outcomes; however, correlations between changes in CVH status and risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) are unknown. We aimed to evaluate associations between changes in CVH status and risk of SCD and all-cause death in older adults. @*Materials and Methods@#We used data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service-Senior cohort database (2005–2012). Six metrics from the American Heart Association (smoking, body mass index, physical activity, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose) were used to calculate CVH scores. Changes in CVH status between two health checkups were categorized as low to low, low to high, high to low, and high to high. @*Results@#We included 105200 patients whose CVH status for an initial and follow-up health checkup (2-year interval) was available. During a median of 5.2 years of follow-up after a second health checkup, 688 SCDs occurred. Compared to patients with a persistent low CVH status, those with a consistently high CVH status had a reduced risk of SCD [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.56–0.86] and all-cause death (adjusted HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.69–0.78). The risk of all-cause death followed similar trends. However, an inconsistent linear relationship was observed for changes in CVH status and the risk of SCD, but not of all-cause death. @*Conclusion@#Maintaining a high CVH status was associated with future risks of SCD and all-cause death among an older adult population.
ABSTRACT
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of arrhythmia in the elderly population and increases stroke risk by a factor of 4- to 5-fold. There is increasing evidence to suggest that incident AF may contribute to the development of dementia, independent of overt stroke. In particular, relatively younger patients with AF are more prone to dementia development than older patients with AF. Evidence is accumulating regarding the possible treatment strategies for preventing dementia in patients with AF. Oral anticoagulation may be effective for reducing the risk of dementia, even in patients with low stroke risks. Among oral anticoagulants, the use of non-vitamin K antagonists have been associated with a considerably decreased risk of dementia than warfarin. Moreover, successful catheter ablation for AF has also been associated with decreased dementia risk compared to medical therapy, suggesting that restoration of sinus rhythm, and not the ablation procedure itself, as the important mechanism in the prevention of AF-associated dementia. Among midlife patients with AF, there appeared to be a U-shaped association of blood pressure (BP) and a linear association of hypertension with dementia risk.A BP of 120 to 129/80 to 84 mmHg has been identified as the optimal range. Finally, integrated management of AF was associated with a reduced risk of dementia in AF patients.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#Nationwide social inequalities of oral anticoagulation (OAC) usage after the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have not been well identified in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study assessed overall rate and social inequalities of OAC usage after the introduction of NOAC in Korea.@*METHODS@#Between January 2002 and December 2016, we identified 888,540 patients with AF in the Korea National Health Insurance system database. The change of OAC rate in different medical systems after the introduction of NOAC were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#In all population, overall OAC use increased from 13.2% to 23.4% (p for trend <0.001), and NOAC use increased from 0% to 14.6% (p for trend <0.001). Compared with pre-reimbursement (0.48%), the annual increase of OAC use was significantly higher after partial (1.16%, p<0.001), and full reimbursement of OAC (3.72%, p<0.001). Full reimbursement of NOAC (adjusted odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 2.04–2.15) was independently associated with higher OAC use. However, the difference of overall OAC usage between tertiary referral hospitals and nursing or public health centers increased from 17.9% in 2010 to 36.8% in 2016. Moreover, usage rate of NOAC was significantly different among different medical systems from 37.2% at the tertiary referral hospital and 5.5% at nursing or public health centers.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Introduction of NOACs in routine practice for stroke prevention in AF was associated with improved rates of overall OAC use. However, significant practice-level variations in OAC and NOAC use remain producing social inequalities of OAC despite full reimbursement.
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Background and Objectives@#Although the adverse cardiovascular effect of anemia has been well described, the effect of polycythemia on the incident atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear. The objective of this study is to identify the association between increased hemoglobin and incident AF. @*Methods@#This was a retrospective-cohort study with 434,269 subjects who underwent national health examinations from the Korean National Sample Cohort. We estimated the risk of incident AF according to hemoglobin-based four-categories. @*Results@#During 3.9-year of follow-up, polycythemia group showed higher incidences of AF (hazard ratio[HR] with 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.50 [1.28–1.76] and 1.69 [1.13–2.56]; in men and women, respectively) than normal hemoglobin group (each p<0.001). In the normal hemoglobin and polycythemia groups, a 1 g/dL increase in hemoglobin level was associated with increased risks of incident AF (1.12 [1.07–1.17] and 1.18 [1.10–1.26] in men and women, each p<0.001). To investigate the specific hemoglobin concentration related to greater AF incidence, we analyzed the sensitivity/specificity of different hemoglobin levels: ≥16.0 g/dL in men and ≥14.5 g/dL in women showed the highest Youden's index, with c-indices of 0.83 and 0.82, respectively. Kaplan-Meier cumulative-event curves according to these specific hemoglobin levels (≥16.0 g/dL in men and ≥14.5 g/dL in women) also showed consistent results in both sexes (each p<0.05). @*Conclusions@#Even in the Korean general population, increased hemoglobin was significantly associated with higher rate of incident AF. Especially, subjects with hemoglobin levels ≥14.5 g/ dL in women and ≥16.0 g/dL among men were associated with increased risk of incident AF.
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Background/Aims@#Atrial arrhythmia (AA) occasionally occurs after lung transplantation (LT); however, risk factors for AA and their impact on clinical outcomes are inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the incidence, predisposing factors, and clinical outcomes of AA after LT. @*Methods@#We retrospectively evaluated 153 consecutive patients who underwent LT between January 2010 and August 2016. An AA episode was defined as a documented atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter, or atrial tachycardia on 12-lead electrocardiography or episodes lasting ≥ 30 seconds on telemetry monitoring. @*Results@#The mean follow-up time was 22.0 ± 19.1 months. Postoperative AA occurred in 46 patients (30.1%) after LT. Patients with postoperative AA were older, had larger body surface area, and had an increased incidence of paroxysmal AF prior to transplantation, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and postoperative tracheostomy than patients without AA. Preoperative right atrial pressure (RAP) (odds ratio [OR], 1.19; p = 0.005) and longer periods of mechanical ventilation (OR, 1.03; p = 0.008) were found to be independent risk factors for AA after surgery. Development of AA was a significant predictor of long-term overall mortality (hazard ratio, 2.75; p = 0.017). @*Conclusions@#Patients with elevated preoperative RAP and long-term ventilator care had a higher risk of AA after LT. Further, AA after LT was associated with poor long-term survival.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Nationwide social inequalities of oral anticoagulation (OAC) usage after the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have not been well identified in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study assessed overall rate and social inequalities of OAC usage after the introduction of NOAC in Korea.METHODS: Between January 2002 and December 2016, we identified 888,540 patients with AF in the Korea National Health Insurance system database. The change of OAC rate in different medical systems after the introduction of NOAC were evaluated.RESULTS: In all population, overall OAC use increased from 13.2% to 23.4% (p for trend <0.001), and NOAC use increased from 0% to 14.6% (p for trend <0.001). Compared with pre-reimbursement (0.48%), the annual increase of OAC use was significantly higher after partial (1.16%, p<0.001), and full reimbursement of OAC (3.72%, p<0.001). Full reimbursement of NOAC (adjusted odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 2.04–2.15) was independently associated with higher OAC use. However, the difference of overall OAC usage between tertiary referral hospitals and nursing or public health centers increased from 17.9% in 2010 to 36.8% in 2016. Moreover, usage rate of NOAC was significantly different among different medical systems from 37.2% at the tertiary referral hospital and 5.5% at nursing or public health centers.CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of NOACs in routine practice for stroke prevention in AF was associated with improved rates of overall OAC use. However, significant practice-level variations in OAC and NOAC use remain producing social inequalities of OAC despite full reimbursement.
Subject(s)
Humans , Anticoagulants , Atrial Fibrillation , Insurance , Korea , National Health Programs , Nursing , Odds Ratio , Public Health , Socioeconomic Factors , Stroke , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are limited published data on the incidence and cost associated with cardiac implantable electrical device (CIED) infection for Asian patients. We analyzed the infection burden associated with the implantation of CIEDs in Korea. METHODS: In the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) database during the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016, we identified 16,908 patients with CIED implantation. CIED infection was defined as either: 1) Infection-related diagnosis code by the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases after any CIED procedure; or 2) CIED removal along with systemic infection. RESULTS: The proportions of first implantation and replacement were 77.6% and 22.4%, respectively. During the follow-up period of 17.1±10.6 months, a total of 462 patients had CIED infection with incidence of 1.95 per 100 person-years with higher infection rate in replacement than first implantation (3.97 vs. 1.4 per 100 person-years, p<0.001). The average cost per person was US$ 16,584 (pacemaker, $13,736; implantable cardioverter defibrillator, $28,402; cardiac resynchronization therapy, $29,674). The risk factors of CIED infection were generator replacement (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.60–3.78), diabetes mellitus (aHR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.58–2.38), and congestive heart failure (aHR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.51–2.28). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of CIED infection in Korea was 1.95 per 100 person-years with average cost of US$ 16,584. The most important risk factor was generator replacement. This result suggests that generator replacement should be performed cautiously to avoid CIED infection.
Subject(s)
Humans , Asian People , Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy , Classification , Cohort Studies , Defibrillators , Defibrillators, Implantable , Diabetes Mellitus , Diagnosis , Follow-Up Studies , Heart Failure , Incidence , Insurance, Health , Korea , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Antithrombotic therapy could be related with nuisance bleeding. This study investigated whether vitreous hemorrhage (VH) is associated with specific types of antithrombotic medication in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the Korean National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort, we identified 9352 antiplatelet/anticoagulant-treated AF patients. The occurrence of VH was compared between warfarin (n=1493) and a propensity score (PS)-matched antiplatelet group (n=1493) and between warfarin (n=1493) and a PS-matched warfarin+antiplatelet group (n=1493). RESULTS: The outcomes of VH were lower in the warfarin than in the matched antiplatelet (1.45 vs. 3.72 events/1000 patient-years) and matched warfarin+antiplatelet groups (1.45 vs. 6.87 events/1000 patient-years). Compared with warfarin, the risk of VH increased with antiplatelet [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 3.90; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22–12.4, p=0.022] and warfarin+antiplatelet agents (aHR 4.39, 95% CI 1.74–11.2, p=0.002). Compared with warfarin only, warfarin+antiplatelet agents increased the risk of VH in patients ≥65 years, regardless of gender and hypertension. The risk of VH was significantly higher with dual antiplatelet therapy (aHR: 5.02, 95% CI: 1.56–16.2, p=0.007) or in dual (aHR: 5.02, 95% CI: 1.74–14.5, p=0.003) or triple therapy using warfarin and antiplatelet agents than with warfarin monotherapy (aHR: 6.12, 95% CI: 1.76–21.3, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Dual antiplatelet or triple therapy increased the risk of VH significantly, compared to warfarin monotherapy. Considering the low efficacy of preventing ischemic stroke and high risk of bleeding, dual or triple therapy using warfarin and antiplatelet agents should be avoided to prevent VH in AF patients.
Subject(s)
Humans , Atrial Fibrillation , Cohort Studies , Hemorrhage , Hypertension , National Health Programs , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors , Propensity Score , Stroke , Vitreous Hemorrhage , WarfarinABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES@#There are limited published data on the incidence and cost associated with cardiac implantable electrical device (CIED) infection for Asian patients. We analyzed the infection burden associated with the implantation of CIEDs in Korea.@*METHODS@#In the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) database during the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016, we identified 16,908 patients with CIED implantation. CIED infection was defined as either: 1) Infection-related diagnosis code by the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases after any CIED procedure; or 2) CIED removal along with systemic infection.@*RESULTS@#The proportions of first implantation and replacement were 77.6% and 22.4%, respectively. During the follow-up period of 17.1±10.6 months, a total of 462 patients had CIED infection with incidence of 1.95 per 100 person-years with higher infection rate in replacement than first implantation (3.97 vs. 1.4 per 100 person-years, p<0.001). The average cost per person was US$ 16,584 (pacemaker, $13,736; implantable cardioverter defibrillator, $28,402; cardiac resynchronization therapy, $29,674). The risk factors of CIED infection were generator replacement (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 3.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.60–3.78), diabetes mellitus (aHR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.58–2.38), and congestive heart failure (aHR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.51–2.28).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The rate of CIED infection in Korea was 1.95 per 100 person-years with average cost of US$ 16,584. The most important risk factor was generator replacement. This result suggests that generator replacement should be performed cautiously to avoid CIED infection.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to elucidate the long-term prognosis of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 405 patients (age, 57.7±16.7 years; 311 men) who had undergone ICD implantation. The patients were divided into three groups: heart failure (HF) and ICD for primary (group 1, n=118) and secondary prevention (group 2, n=93) and non-HF (group 3, n=194). We compared appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy delivery among the groups and between high- (heart rate ≥200 /min) and low-rate (<200 /min) ICD therapy zones. RESULTS: During the follow-up period (58.9±49.8 months), the annual appropriate ICD therapy rate was higher in group 2 (10.4%) than in groups 1 and 3 (6.1% and 5.9%, respectively, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in annual inappropriate ICD therapy rate among the three groups. In group 1, the annual appropriate ICD therapy rate was significantly lower in patients with a high-rate versus a low-rate therapy zone (4.5% and 9.6%, respectively, p=0.026). In group 3, the annual inappropriate ICD therapy rate was significantly lower in patients with a high-rate versus a low-rate therapy zone (3.1% and 4.0%, respectively, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: Appropriate ICD therapy rates are not low in Korean patients with ICD, relative to prior large-scale studies in Western countries. Appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy could be reduced by a high-rate therapy zone in patients with HF and ICD for primary prevention, as well as non-HF patients, respectively.
Subject(s)
Humans , Death, Sudden, Cardiac , Defibrillators, Implantable , Follow-Up Studies , Heart Failure , Korea , Primary Prevention , Prognosis , Secondary PreventionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although a few previous studies have analyzed the role of reduced lung function in predicting atrial fibrillation (AF), the relationship between the incidence of AF and comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unclear. We hypothesized that COPD is associated with the occurrence of new-onset AF and clinical outcomes in AF patients. METHODS: We analyzed the development of new-onset AF in 501,668 patients without AF and clinical outcomes in 4,541 patients with AF using Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC). RESULTS: Comorbid COPD was found in 4.8% (11,442 of 501,668) of non-AF patients and 18.6% (820 of 4,541) of AF patients. The incidence of AF in COPD patients was significantly higher compared to non-COPD patients (2.6% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001) over the follow-up period (45.5±14.9 months). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, COPD predicted higher risk of AF independently from other risk factors (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.25-1.60, p < 0.001). The allcause mortality of AF patients with COPD was significantly higher in patients who used b-blockers (20.6% vs 13.1% during follow-up, p < 0.008). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that COPD is still an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (HR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03–1.51, p=0.022), and stroke (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00–1.41, p=0.039). CONCLUSION: The presence of COPD is an independent risk factor for new-onset AF. COPD is independently associated with all-cause mortality and stroke in AF patients.