Incidence and Mortality Trends of Atrial Fibrillation/Atrial Flutter in the United States 1990 to 2017.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and flutter (AFL) are the most common clinically significant arrhythmias in older adults with an increasing disease burden due to an aging population. However, up-to-date trends in disease burden and regional variation remain unknown. In an observational study utilizing the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database, age-standardized mortality and incidence rates for AF overall and for each state in the United States (US) from 1990 to 2017 were determined. All analyses were stratified by gender. The relative change in age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized death rate (ASDR) over the observation period were determined. Trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression analysis. The mean ASIR per 100,000 population for men was 92 (+/-8) and for women was 62 (+/-5) in the US in 2017. The mean ASDR per 100,000 population for men was 5.8 (+/-0.3) and for women was 4.4 (+/-0.4). There were progressive increases in ASIR and ASDR in all but 1 state. The states with the greatest percentage change in incidence were New Hampshire (+13.5%) and Idaho (+16.0%) for men and women, respectively. The greatest change regarding mortality was seen in Mississippi (+26.3%) for men and Oregon (+53.8%) for women. In conclusion these findings provide updated evidence of increasing AF and/or AFL incidence and mortality on a national and regional level in the US, with women experiencing greater increases in incidence and mortality rates. This study demonstrates that the public health burden related to AF in the United States is progressively worsening but disproportionately across states and among women.

Comparative Risks of Ischemic Stroke in Atrial Flutter versus Atrial Fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to compare the risk of ischemic stroke in patients who have atrial fibrillation and patients who have atrial flutter. METHODS: Using inpatient and outpatient Medicare claims data from 2008 to 2014 for a 5% sample of all beneficiaries 66 years of age or older, we identified patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and those diagnosed with atrial flutter. The primary outcome was ischemic stroke. In the primary analysis, patients with atrial flutter were censored upon converting to fibrillation; in a secondary analysis, they were not. Survival statistics were used to compare incidence of stroke in patients with flutter and patients with fibrillation. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to compare the associations of flutter and fibrillation with ischemic stroke after adjustment for demographics and risk factors. RESULTS: We identified 14,953 patients with flutter and 318,138 with fibrillation. During a mean follow-up period of 2.8 (±2.3) years, we identified 18,900 ischemic strokes. The annual incidence of ischemic stroke in patients with flutter was 1.38% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22%-1.57%) compared with 2.02% (95% CI 1.99%-2.05%) in patients with fibrillation. After adjustment for demographics and stroke risk factors, flutter was associated with a lower risk of stroke compared with fibrillation (hazard ratio .69; 95% CI .60-.79, P < .05). Within 1 year, 65.7% (95% CI 64.9%-66.4%) of patients with flutter converted to fibrillation but remained at a lower risk of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio .85; 95% CI .78-.92). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with atrial flutter faced a lower risk of ischemic stroke than patients with atrial fibrillation.

Polysomnographic indicators of mortality in stroke patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to assess polysomnographic indicators of increased mortality risk in patients with stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). METHODS: We performed polysomnographies in 63 acute stroke/TIA patients. Mortality data were collected from a national database after a 19-37-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Of the 57 stroke and 6 TIA patients, 9 stroke patients died during follow-up. All nine had moderate or severe sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs). Binarily divided, the group with the highest apnea hypopnea index (AHI) had an almost 10-fold higher mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) 9.71; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.20-78.29; p = 0.033) compared to the patients with the lowest AHI. The patients with the longest versus shortest nocturnal wake time had a higher mortality (HR 8.78; 95 % CI 1.1-71.8; p = 0.0428). Lung disease increased mortality (HR 9.92; 95 % CI 2.00-49.23; p = 0.005), and there was a trend toward a higher mortality risk with atrial fibrillation/flutter (HR 3.63; 95 % CI 0.97-13.51; p = 0.055). CONCLUSIONS: In stroke patients, the AHI and nocturnal wake time are indicators of increased mortality risk. SRBDs in stroke patients should receive increased attention.

Cost burden of cardiovascular hospitalization and mortality in ATHENA-like patients with atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The ATHENA trial (A placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel arm Trial to assess the efficacy of dronedarone 400 mg bid for the prevention of cardiovascular Hospitalization or death from any cause in patiENts with Atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter) demonstrated that dronedarone reduced the risk of cardiovascular (CV) hospitalization/death by 24% (P < 0.001) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL). HYPOTHESIS: In order to estimate the cost savings associated with dronedarone use, we estimated the costs associated with CV hospitalizations and inpatient mortality in a large cohort of ATHENA-like patients. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, we evaluated the cost of CV hospitalization/mortality in real-world ATHENA-like patients without heart failure and with employer-sponsored Medicare supplemental insurance in the United States. Patients similar to those in ATHENA (age > or = 70 years with AF/AFL and > or = 1 stroke risk factor, without heart failure) who were hospitalized between January 2, 2005, and January 1, 2007, were identified from the MarketScan databases from Thomson Reuters. Health care costs were evaluated during the 12 months following the index hospitalization. RESULTS: The analysis included 10 200 ATHENA-like patients. Hospitalization for CV causes occurred in 53.9% of patients, with a total of 6700 CV hospitalizations for fatal/nonfatal causes. The most common nonfatal causes of CV hospitalizations were AF/other supraventricular rhythm disorders (20.2% of all CV hospitalizations), congestive heart failure (CHF; 14.3%), and transient ischemic attack (TIA)/stroke (10.7%). Mean costs per CV hospitalization for nonfatal causes were $10,908. Inpatient deaths from CV causes occurred in 264 (2.6%) patients; the most common causes of CV inpatient death were intracranial/gastrointestinal hemorrhage (24.2% of CV deaths), TIA/stroke (17.0%), and CHF (15.9%). Mean hospitalization costs per CV inpatient death were $18,565. CONCLUSIONS: Health care costs associated with CV hospitalizations and inpatient deaths among ATHENA-like patients in the US are high. Novel antiarrhythmic therapies such as dronedarone, with the potential to reduce CV hospitalizations/mortality in similar patients, could decrease health care costs if adopted in clinical practice.