Prevalence of Frailty and Associations with Oral Anticoagulant Prescribing in Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Frailty is often cited as a factor influencing oral anticoagulation (OAC) prescription in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). We sought to determine the prevalence of frailty and its association with OAC prescription in older veterans with NVAF. METHODS: We used ICD-9 codes in Veterans Affairs (VA) records and Medicare claims data to identify patients with NVAF and CHA2DS2VASC ≥2 receiving care between February 2010 and September 2015. We examined rates of OAC prescription, further stratified by direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) or vitamin K antagonist (VKA). Participants were characterized into 3 categories: non-frail, pre-frail, and frail based on a validated 30-item EHR-derived frailty index. We examined relations between frailty and OAC receipt; and frailty and type of OAC prescribed in regression models adjusted for factors related to OAC prescription. RESULTS: Of 308,664 veterans with NVAF and a CHA2DS2VASC score ≥2, 121,839 (39%) were prescribed OAC (73% VKA). The mean age was 77.7 (9.6) years; CHA2DS2VASC and ATRIA scores were 4.6 (1.6) and 5.0 (2.9) respectively. Approximately a third (38%) were frail, another third (32%) were pre-frail, and the remainder were not frail. Veterans prescribed OAC were younger, had higher bleeding risk, and were less likely to be frail than participants not receiving OAC (all p's<0.001). After adjustment for factors associated with OAC use, pre-frail (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.87-0.91) and frail (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.64-0.68) veterans were significantly less likely to be prescribed OAC than non-frail veterans. Of those prescribed OAC, pre-frail (OR:1.27, 95% CI: 1.22-1.31) and frail (OR: 1.75, 95% CI: 1.67-1.83) veterans were significantly more likely than non-frail veterans to be prescribed a DOAC than a VKA. CONCLUSIONS: There are high rates of frailty among older veterans with NVAF. Frailty using an EHR-derived index is associated with decreased OAC prescription.

Psychosocial and cognitive multimorbidity and health-related quality of life and symptom burden in older adults with atrial fibrillation: The systematic assessment of geriatric elements in atrial fibrillation (SAGE-AF) cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairments occur in up to 40 % of adults with AF and are associated with poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and higher symptom burden. However, it is unknown how often these impairments co-occur, or multimorbidity, and how multimorbidity effects HRQoL and symptom burden. METHODS: Patients with AF age ≥65 years with a CHA2DS2VASC risk score ≥ 2 and eligible for oral anticoagulation therapy were recruited from five clinics in a prospective cohort study. Participants completed validated measures of depression (PHQ9) and anxiety (GAD7), cognitive impairment (MoCA), and HRQOL and AF symptom burden (AFEQT). Multinomial logistic regression was used. RESULTS: Participants (N = 1244, 49 % female) were on average 76 ± 7 years; 86 % were non-Hispanic white. Approximately 35 % of participants had 1 impairment, 17 % had 2 impairments and 8% had 3 impairments; 39 % had none of the 3 impairments examined. Compared to participants with no impairments, patients with 1, 2 and 3 impairments had higher odds of poor HRQoL (adjusted OR [AOR] = 1.77, 95 % CI 1.21, 2.60; AOR = 6.64, 95 % CI 4.43, 9.96; and AOR = 7.50, 95 % CI 4.40, 12.77, respectively) and those with 2 and 3 impairments had higher odds of high symptom burden (AOR = 3.69 95 % CI 2.22, 6.13; and AOR = 5.41 95 % CI 2.85, 10.26). CONCLUSIONS: Psychosocial/cognitive multimorbidity is common among older adults with AF and is associated with poor HRQoL and high symptom burden. Clinicians might consider incorporating psychosocial and cognitive screens into routine care as this may identify a high-risk population.

Geriatric Elements and Oral Anticoagulant Prescribing in Older Atrial Fibrillation Patients: SAGE-AF.

OBJECTIVES: Oral anticoagulants are the cornerstone of stroke prevention in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Geriatric elements, such as cognitive impairment and frailty, commonly occur in these patients and are often cited as reasons for not prescribing oral anticoagulants. We sought to systematically assess geriatric impairments in patients with AF and determine whether they were associated with oral anticoagulant prescribing. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the ongoing Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Elements in Atrial Fibrillation (SAGE-AF) prospective cohort study. SETTING: Multicenter study with site locations in Massachusetts and Georgia that recruited participants from cardiology, electrophysiology, and primary care clinics from 2016 to 2018. PARTICIPANTS: Participants with AF age 65 years or older, CHA2 DS2 -VASc (congestive heart failure; hypertension; aged ≥75 y [doubled]; diabetes mellitus; prior stroke, transient ischemic attack, or thromboembolism [doubled]; vascular disease; age 65-74; female sex) score of 2 or higher, and no oral anticoagulant contraindications (n = 1244). MEASUREMENTS: A six-component geriatric assessment included validated measures of frailty, cognitive function, social support, depressive symptoms, vision, and hearing. Oral anticoagulant use was abstracted from the medical record. RESULTS: A total of 1244 participants (mean age = 76 y; 49% female; 85% white) were enrolled; 42% were cognitively impaired, 14% frail, 53% pre-frail, 12% socially isolated, and 29% had depressive symptoms. Oral anticoagulants were prescribed to 86% of the cohort. Oral anticoagulant prescribing did not vary according to any of the geriatric elements (adjusted odds ratios [ORs] for oral anticoagulant prescribing and cognitive impairment: OR = .75; 95% confidence interval [CI] = .51-1.09; frail OR = .69; 95% CI = .35-1.36; social isolation OR = .90; 95% CI = .52-1.54; depression OR = .79; 95% CI = .49-1.27; visual impairment OR = .98; 95% CI = .65-1.48; and hearing impairment OR = 1.05; 95% CI = .71-1.54). CONCLUSION: Geriatric impairments, particularly cognitive impairment and frailty, were common in our cohort, but treatment with oral anticoagulants did not differ by impairment status. These geriatric impairments are commonly cited as reasons for not prescribing oral anticoagulants, suggesting that prescribers may either be unaware or deliberately ignoring the presence of these factors in clinical settings. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:147-154, 2019.

Interobserver Variability in Applying American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging 2016 Guidelines for Estimation of Left Ventricular Filling Pressure.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure is among the important components of a comprehensive echocardiographic report. Previous studies noted wide limits of agreement using 2009 American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Echocardiography guidelines, but reproducibility of 2016 guidelines update in estimating LV filling pressure is unknown. METHODS: Echocardiographic and hemodynamic data were obtained from 50 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for clinical indications. Clinical and echocardiographic findings but not invasive hemodynamics were provided to 4 groups of observers, including experienced echocardiographers and cardiology fellows. Invasively acquired LV filling pressure was the gold standard. RESULTS: In group I of 8 experienced echocardiographers from the guidelines writing committee, sensitivity for elevated LV filling pressure was 92% for all observers, and specificity was 93±6%. Fleiss κ-value for the agreement in group I was 0.80. In group II of 4 fellows in training, sensitivity was 91±2%, and specificity was 95±2%. Fleiss κ-value for the agreement in group II was 0.94. In group III of 9 experienced echocardiographers who had not participated in drafting the guidelines, sensitivity was 88±5%, and specificity was 91±7%. Fleiss κ-value for the agreement in group III was 0.76. In group IV of 7 other fellows, sensitivity was 91±3%, and specificity was 92±5%. Fleiss κ-value for the agreement in group IV was 0.89. CONCLUSIONS: There is a good level of agreement and accuracy in the estimation of LV filling pressure using the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging 2016 recommendations update, irrespective of the experience level of the observer.

Estimation of Mean Left Atrial Pressure in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Doppler Echocardiographic and Cardiac Catheterization Study.

BACKGROUND: Doppler echocardiography, including the ratio of transmitral E to tissue Doppler e' velocities (E/e'), is widely used to estimate mean left atrial pressure (mLAP). This method, however, has not been validated in patients with acute coronary syndromes. METHODS: Fifty-seven patients with acute coronary syndromes who underwent left heart catheterization and transthoracic echocardiography within 8 hours of each other were retrospectively analyzed. Forty-two of the patients (74%) were men, with a mean age of 65 ± 11 years. Patients with known cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, or left-sided valvular disease were excluded. Doppler mLAP was estimated using Nagueh's formula (1.24 × [E/e'] + 1.9). Invasive mLAP was estimated using the formula of Yamamoto et al. (1.20 × mean left ventricular diastolic pressure - 0.82), wherein we averaged left ventricular diastolic pressure starting from the isovolumic relaxation phase to the post-A inflection point. Subanalyses were performed in groups with reduced or normal left ventricular ejection fraction (EF). RESULTS: There was stronger agreement between the two techniques to estimate mLAP in the reduced EF group (r = 0.73, r2 = 0.53, P < .001) compared with the normal EF group (r = 0.33, r2 = 0.11, P = .08). The κ statistic for agreement was 0.34 for the overall study cohort, suggesting fair agreement according to partition values of mean mLAP: <8, 8 to 15, and >15 mm Hg. Left atrial volume index did not correlate with invasively estimated mLAP in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute coronary syndromes, Doppler- and catheter-derived estimates of mLAP correlate well in patients with reduced EFs. In the acute setting, echocardiographic evaluation is a reliable adjunct to clinical examination in assessment of heart failure in this subgroup of patients.

Indexed Left Atrial Adipose Tissue Area Is Associated With Severity of Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence Among Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has been associated with adverse left atrial (LA) remodeling and atrial fibrillation (AF) outcomes, possibly because of paracrine signaling. Objectives: We examined factors associated with a novel measure of EAT i.e., indexed LAEAT (iLAEAT) and its prognostic significance after catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 274 participants with AF referred for CA. LAEAT area was measured from a single pre-ablation CT image and indexed to body surface area (BSA) to calculate iLAEAT. Clinical, echocardiographic data and 1-year AF recurrence rates after CA were compared across tertiles of iLAEAT. We performed logistic regression analysis adjusting for factors associated with AF to examine relations between iLAEAT and AF recurrence. Results: Mean age of participants was 61 ± 10 years, 136 (49%) were women, mean BMI was 32 ± 9 kg/m2 and 85 (31%) had persistent AF. Mean iLAEAT was 0.82 ± 0.53 cm2/m2. Over 12-months, 109 (40%) had AF recurrence. Participants in the highest iLAEAT tertile were older, had higher CHA2DS2VASC scores, more likely to be male, have greater LA volume, and were more likely to have persistent (vs. paroxysmal) type AF than participants in the lowest iLAEAT tertile (p for all < 0.05). In regression analyses, iLAEAT was associated with higher odds of AF recurrence (OR = 2.93; 95% CI 1.34-6.43). Conclusions: iLAEAT can quantify LA adipose tissue burden using standard CT images. It is strongly associated with AF risk factors and outcomes, supporting the hypothesis that EAT plays a role in the pathophysiology of AF.

Juvenile osteoporosis in a 5-year-old girl.

Idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis (IJO) is a term used to describe a primary osteoporosis of unknown etiology in prepubertal children. It is rarely described in the literature and treatment modalities vary with spontaneous remission also being reported at the time of puberty. We report a 5-year-old girl with IJO who had spinal deformities and was successfully treated with oral alendronate.

Incidence and prognostic factors associated with biliary atresia in western India.

AIM: To estimate the incidence of biliary atresia(BA) amongst neonatal cholestatic syndromes (NCS) and determine prognostic factors in BA patients who have undergone Kasai's portoenterostomy. Study design- Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Pediatric Hepatobiliary Clinic at B.J. Wadia Children's Hospital, Mumbai. METHODS AND MATERIALS: 32 patients diagnosed with BA referred to the clinic from May 2005 to July 2007 were included in the study. All patients underwent a detailed history, clinical examination and were tested for liver function tests (LFT), USG abdomen, liver biopsy, intra-operative cholangiogram and CMV tests. Patients were followed up for a period of 1 month to 7 years post operatively and complications such as cholangitis, progress to liver cell failure and cirrhosis was noted. RESULTS: Incidence of BA amongst NCS (n = 88) was 36.4%. 8 patients of BA (25%) were lost to follow up. Out of the remaining, 10 (41.7%) improved and 14 (58.3%) did not improve. The mean age of presentation was 89 + 55.8 days. 1 patient (25%) out of 4 with bile duct size of < 100 microns showed an improvement whereas 3 (37.5%) out 8 patients with bile duct size 100-200 microns showed improvement and 4 (50%) with bile duct size of > 200 microns had improvement post Kasai surgery. Those with bile duct sizes > 200 microns had better prognosis than those with sizes 100-200 microns (Odd's ratio = 1.8) and < 100 microns (Odd's ratio = 3). 12 patients (50%) were operated before 3 months of age and 50% of them responded to surgery. The remaining 12 patients were operated after 3 months of age and only 33% showed any improvement. (Odd's ratio = 2). Other parameters like SGOT (P = 0.598), SGPT (p = 0.901), total Bilirubin (p = 0.349), Direct Bilirubin (p = 0.429), Alkaline Phosphatase (p = 0.605) and GGTP (p = 0.480), cirrhosis (p = 0.417), degree of fibrosis (p = 0.384), degree of inflammation (p = 0.964) and Cholangitis (P = 0.388) had no effect on the outcome. CONCLUSION: Biliary Atresia is a common cause of NCS in India. Children with Bile duct size > 200 microns have a good prognosis. Portoenterostomy before 3 months of age has a better outcome.