Outcome of Femoral Angioplasty/Stenting Procedures in Different Ethnic Groups in England: A Retrospective Analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics and Review of Literature.

PURPOSE: Various studies, mainly from North America, report worse outcomes in ethnic minority populations submitted to revascularization for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Limited nationwide data in relation to ethnicity are available from Europe. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to compare the outcomes of femoral angioplasty/stenting procedures among different ethnic groups in England during the 10-year period from 2006 to 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The "Hospital Episode Statistics" database has been searched using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes to identify all cases of femoral angioplasty or stenting from English NHS Hospitals between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2015. Subsequent mortality, second open or endovascular infrainguinal procedures, and major amputations on the same side within 2 years after the first procedure have been recorded. Patients were broadly categorized according to ethnicity as whites, Asians, and blacks. Chi-square test was used to demonstrate significant differences among ethnic groups and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using white ethnic group as reference. RESULTS: A total number of 70 887 femoral endovascular procedures were recorded in patients from the 3 ethnic groups. Two-year mortality in whites, Asians, and blacks was 18.3%, 22.1%, and 19.5% (p<0.001); rates of second endovascular procedure were 12.1%, 13.1%, and 13.5% (p=0.24); rates of open infrainguinal procedure were 5.6%, 4.5%, and 8.0% (p<0.001); and rates of major amputation were 4.8%, 4.1%, and 7.0% (p<0.001), respectively. Mortality was higher in Asians (OR=1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.10-1.45, p<0.01) compared with whites. On the contrary, blacks underwent more open arterial operations (OR=1.48, 95% CI=1.19-1.83, p<0.01) and more amputations (OR=1.49, 95% CI=1.18-1.87, p<0.01). There were no significant differences in the rates of second endovascular procedures. CONCLUSION: Two-year mortality after femoral angioplasty/stenting is higher in Asians, whereas risk of limb loss is higher in blacks compared with whites. Reasons of these ethnic differences in outcomes following femoral endovascular procedures for PAD merit further study.

Contemporary management of atrial fibrillation in primary and secondary care in the UK: the prospective long-term AF-GEN-UK Registry.

AIMS: This study established a prospective registry of contemporary management of UK patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) by cardiologists, general practitioners, and stroke, acute, and emergency medicine physicians at baseline and 1-year follow-up. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on patients with recently diagnosed AF (≤12 months) were collected from medical records from 101 UK sites to permit comparison of patient characteristics and treatments between specialities. The impact of guideline-adherent oral anticoagulation (OAC) use on outcomes was assessed using Cox regression analysis. One thousand five hundred and ninety-five AF patients [mean (standard deviation) age 70.5 (11.2) years; 60.1% male; 97.4% white] were recruited in June 2017-June 2018 and followed up for 1 year. Overall OAC prescription rates were 84.2% at baseline and 87.1% at 1 year, with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) predominating (74.9 and 79.2% at baseline and 1 year, respectively). Vitamin K antagonist prescription was significantly higher in primary care, with NOAC prescription higher among stroke physicians. Guideline-adherent OAC (CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2) at baseline significantly reduced risk of death and stroke at 1 year [adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.48 (0.27-0.84) and 0.11 (0.02-0.48), respectively]. Rhythm control is evident in ∼25%; only 1.6% received catheter ablation. CONCLUSION: High OAC use (>80%, mainly NOACs) rates varied by speciality, with VKA prescription higher in primary care. Guideline-adherent OAC therapy at baseline was associated with significant reduction in death and stroke at 1 year, regardless of speciality. Rhythm-control management is evident in only one-quarter despite AF symptoms reported in 56.6%. This registry extends the knowledge of contemporary AF management outside cardiology and demonstrates good implementation of clinical guidelines for the management of AF, particularly for stroke prevention.

Relationship between Chronic Kidney Disease, Time-in-Therapeutic Range, and Adverse Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation: A post hoc Analysis from the AMADEUS Trial.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of anticoagulation therapy in atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the impact of renal function on the quality of anticoagulation control, and the effects of both these factors on outcomes in AF. METHODS: Post hoc analysis of the AMADEUS trial. Trial-related outcomes were adjudicated and we studied the composite of first stroke/major bleeding/all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke, major bleeding, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality. RESULTS: We included 2,282 vitamin K antagonist (VKA)-treated patients {n = 787 (34.5%) females; median age 72 (interquartile ranges [IQR] 64-77) years}. Median follow-up was 365 (IQR 189-460) days. There were 1,922 (84.2%) non-CKD and 360 (15.8%) CKD patients. Renal function was inversely correlated with time-in-therapeutic range (r = -0.047, p = 0.025). There was no statistical difference in terms of crude study outcomes based on renal function. Multivariable regression analysis demonstrated that moderate renal failure with estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (p = 0.032) and percentage of time-in-therapeutic range (p = 0.011) were independent predictors for the composite outcome of stroke, major bleeding, and all-cause mortality. CONCLUSION: Deteriorated renal function has a small negative impact on the quality of anticoagulation control with VKA which is linked to poor outcomes in AF. However, moderate renal failure itself was an independent risk factor for increased risk of stroke, major bleeding, and all-cause mortality amongst patients with AF.

Myocardial Strain Imaging in Resistant Hypertension.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Resistant hypertension (RH) is a major contributor to cardiovascular diseases and is associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Cardiac changes such as impaired left ventricular (LV) function, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), myocardial fibrosis, and enlarged left atrium (LA) are consequences of chronic exposure to an elevated blood pressure. The purpose of this review article is to demonstrate the potential benefits of using STE as a non-invasive imaging technique in the assessment of cardiac remodeling in patients with hypertension and specifically in uncontrolled and RH population. RECENT FINDINGS: It is well-recognized that conventional transthoracic echocardiography is a useful analytic imaging modality to evaluate hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) and in a resistant hypertensive population. More recently two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has been utilized to provide further risk assessment to this population. Recent data has shown that STE is a new promising echocardiographic marker to evaluate early stage LV dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis over conventional 2D parameters in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Outcome of Femoral-popliteal Bypass Procedures in Different Ethnic Groups in England: A Retrospective Analysis of Hospital Episode Statistics.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies, mainly from the United States, have reported worse outcomes from lower limb bypass procedures in ethnic minority populations. Limited nationwide data are available from ethnic minority populations from Europe. The aim of this study is to investigate outcomes from lower limb bypass procedures in ethnic minorities from England. METHODS: We enquired the "Hospital Episode Statistics" database, using ICD-10 codes to identify all cases of femoral-popliteal bypass operations from English NHS Hospitals from 01/01/2006 to 31/12/2015. Every case was followed up for 2 years for subsequent events. The primary outcomes were mortality and major leg amputation. Patients were broadly categorised according to Black, Asian and White ethnicity. Chi-square test was used to the ethnic groups and odds ratios (OR) were calculated using White ethnic group with the largest numbers of participants as a reference category. RESULTS: In the examined 10-year period, 20825 femoral-popliteal bypass procedures (250 of Black, 167 of Asian, and 20.408 of White ethnicity) were recorded. Thirty-day and 2-year mortality were 2.8% and 16.8% with no significant ethnic differences. Patients of Black ethnicity had higher risk of limb loss compared to Whites (23.2% vs. 15.6%, OR = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-2.19, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in amputation rates between Asians and Whites (16.2% vs.. 15.6%, P = 0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Patients of Black ethnicity are at higher risk of limb loss after a femoropopliteal bypass procedure. Further research is needed to identify the causes of this discrepancy.

Outcomes in VKA-treated patients with atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease: Clinical trials vs 'real-world'.

BACKGROUND: Our objectives were to evaluate the risk of adverse events in a 'real-world' vs 'clinical trial' cohort of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: We studied patient-level data for vitamin K antagonist-treated AF patients with a creatinine clearance <60 mL/min from the Murcia AF Project and AMADEUS trial. The study end-points were ischaemic stroke, major bleeding, all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction and intracranial haemorrhage. RESULTS: This study included 1,108 AF patients with CKD. The annual rate of the composite study outcome of ischaemic stroke, major bleeding and all-cause mortality was higher in the real-world (13.4%) vs AMADEUS (6.6%) cohort with an IRR of 2.04 (95% CI,1.34-3.09), P < .001. Individual annual rates of major bleeding, all-cause mortality and non-cardiovascular mortality were significantly greater in the real-world cohort. Similar findings were demonstrated even after multivariable adjustment, with the composite outcome HR of 2.85 (95% CI,1.74-4.66), P < .001. In a propensity score matched cohort, this risk remained significantly higher in the real-world cohort (IRR 2.95 [95% CI,1.03-10.28], P = .027), as did the risk of major bleeding and all-cause mortality. CONCLUSION: Vitamin K antagonist-treated AF patients with CKD are exposed to significant annual rates of major adverse events including all-cause mortality. This risk may be under-appreciated in the idealised environment of randomised controlled trials.

Heart rate variability in atrial fibrillation: The balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest abnormal heart rhythm with significant related morbidity and mortality. Several pathophysiologic mechanisms have been advocated to explain the onset of AF. There has been increasing evidence that abnormalities of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that includes sympathetic, parasympathetic and intrinsic neural network are involved in the pathogenesis of AF. This review will consider the anatomical and pathophysiological concepts of the cardiac neuronal network and discuss how it can be investigated. DESIGN: Relevant articles for this review were selected primarily from Ovid Medline and Embase databases (see appendix). We searched for key terms "atrial fibrillation," "AF," "autonomic dysfunction," "autonomic nervous system," "heart rate variability" and "HRV" to gather relevant studies. Duplicate papers were excluded. RESULTS: Heart is richly innervated by autonomic nerves. Both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems interact in developing AF along with cardiac ganglionated plexi (GP). Thus autonomic dysfunction is present in AF. There are methods including selective ablation that reduce autonomic innervation and show to reduce the incidence of spontaneous or induced atrial arrhythmias. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful tool to assess sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on disease states. HRV can be improved following intervention and is thus a useful application in assessing autonomic dysfunction in patients with AF. CONCLUSION: ANS plays a crucial role in the development, propagation and complexity of AF. Assessment of the autonomic involvement in the propagation of AF may help in explaining why certain patients with AF do not benefit from cardioversion or ablation.

Modelling projections for the risks related with atrial fibrillation in East Asia: a focus on ischaemic stroke and death.

Aims: In the Far East, there has generally been low uptake of oral anticoagulants (OACs) using vitamin K antagonists (VKA, e.g. warfarin) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF), but OAC use has been increasing more recently, with the introduction of the non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). To explore the risks of ischaemic stroke (IS) and death related to AF in East Asia using modelling projections. Methods and results: We performed a modelling analysis of possible trends of IS and death rates in AF patients from the time period of only VKA use to current increasing trends of NOAC use projecting until 2050 in East Asia. Data from published articles on the prevalence of AF, IS, and death were used to model estimated event rates. In 2030, the estimated AF population in East Asia will be 608 100, with the use of NOACs leading to a reduction of 82 259 ISs and 16 917 deaths. There was an estimated annual risk reduction of 5484 ISs and 1128 deaths from 2016 to 2030, respectively. The AF population is estimated to reach 861 900 in 2050, with a reduction of 206 315 ISs and 139 353 deaths. Conclusion: This modelling analysis suggests that the transition from VKA to NOACs may greatly help in reducing the burden of IS and death caused by AF in the East Asian region.

Effectiveness and safety of oral anticoagulants in older patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

Background and objective: the study analysed the effectiveness and safety of warfarin use compared with warfarin non-use and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients aged ≥65 years. Methods: after searching PubMed and the Cochrane Library, 26 studies were included, with 10 comparing warfarin with warfarin non-use and 16 comparing warfarin with NOACs, in older AF patients (≥65 years). Results: warfarin use was superior to no antithrombotic therapy [relative risk (RR) 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51-0.76, I2 = 12.3%, n = 8] and aspirin (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.24-0.64, I2 = 0.0%, n = 5) for stroke/thromboembolism (TE) prevention. Warfarin use was associated with a non-significant increase in risk of major bleeding compared with no antithrombotic therapy (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.99-1.52, I2 = 0.0%, n = 7) and aspirin (RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.91-1.50, I2 = 0.0%, n = 5). NOACs were superior to warfarin for stroke/TE prevention [hazard ratio (HR) 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.89, I2 = 56.6%, n = 9], and also were associated with reduced risk of major bleeding compared to warfarin (HR 0.87, 0.77-0.97, I2 = 86.1%, n = 9). Conclusions: warfarin use was superior to warfarin non-use, aspirin and no antithrombotic therapy in reducing the risk of stroke/TE in older AF patients, but with a possible increase in major bleeding. NOACs were superior to warfarin for stroke/TE prevention, with reduced risk of major bleeding.

Using the MB-LATER score for predicting arrhythmia outcome after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: The Guangzhou atrial fibrillation project.

INTRODUCTION: Several clinical scoring systems have been derived to predict the arrhythmia outcome of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) but which is better is not clear. Simple clinical risk scores (that any clinician can use in the everyday clinic) can help assess the likelihood of recurrence of AF following CA and the simple MB-LATER score has recently been described. We compare the predictive ability of seven existing clinical scoring systems (HATCH, CHADS2 , CHA2 DS2 -VASc, BASE-AF2 , APPLE, CAAP-AF, and MB-LATER) in a Chinese cohort of AF patients undergoing CA. METHODS AND RESULTS: 1410 patients (mean age 57.2 ± 11.6 years; 68% male) with AF undergoing CA during 2011-2015 were enrolled in final analysis. Symptoms, 12 lead ECG and Holter ECGs were recorded before discharge, and at 1, 3, 6 months, and every 6 months thereafter to detect the arrhythmia relapse. During a mean 20.7 ± 8.8-month follow-up, recurrence occurred in 365 patients(25.9%). All tested scores were predictors of AF recurrence with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.58, 0.57, 0.57, 0.75, 0.74, 0.71, and 0.73 respectively (all P < 0.01). Compared to all other scores, the MB-LATER score showed improved reclassification (NRI range 30%-82.6%, P < 0.01) and discrimination indexes (IDI range 2.6%-18.6%, all P < 0.01) in predicting AF recurrence. CONCLUSION: Based on net reclassification and discrimination analysis, the MB-LATER score performed best for predicting AF recurrent postablation, in a large "all comers" Chinese cohort. This simple clinical risk score (that any clinician can use in the everyday clinic) can help assess the likelihood of recurrence of AF following catheter ablation.

Rivaroxaban Versus Dabigatran or Warfarin in Real-World Studies of Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban in real-world practice compared with effectiveness and safety of dabigatran or warfarin for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation through meta-analyzing observational studies. METHODS: Seventeen studies were included after searching in PubMed for studies reporting the comparative effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban versus dabigatran (n=3), rivaroxaban versus Warfarin (n=11), or both (n=3) for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. RESULTS: Overall, the risks of stroke/systematic thromboembolism with rivaroxaban were similar when compared with those with dabigatran (stroke/thromboembolism: hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1.13; I2=70.2%, N=5), but were significantly reduced when compared with those with warfarin (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.85; I2=45.1%, N=9). Major bleeding risk was significantly higher with rivaroxaban than with dabigatran (hazard ratio, 1.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-1.49; I2=26.1%, N=5), but similar to that with warfarin (hazard ratio, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.91-1.07; I2=0.0%, N=6). Rivaroxaban was associated with increased all-cause mortality and gastrointestinal bleeding, but similar risk of acute myocardial infarction and intracranial hemorrhage when compared with dabigatran. When compared with warfarin, rivaroxaban was associated with similar risk of any bleeding, mortality, and acute myocardial infarction, but a higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and lower risk of intracranial hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, rivaroxaban was as effective as dabigatran, but was more effective than warfarin for the prevention of stroke/thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation patients. Major bleeding risk was significantly higher with rivaroxaban than with dabigatran, as was all-cause mortality and gastrointestinal bleeding. Rivaroxaban was comparable to warfarin for major bleeding, with an increased risk in gastrointestinal bleeding and decreased risk of intracranial hemorrhage.

Effects of Aspirin on Endothelial Function and Hypertension.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Endothelial dysfunction is intimately related to the development of various cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, and is often used as a target for pharmacological treatment. The scope of this review is to assess effects of aspirin on endothelial function and their clinical implication in arterial hypertension. RECENT FINDINGS: Emerging data indicate the role of platelets in the development of vascular inflammation due to the release of proinflammatory mediators, for example, triggered largely by thromboxane. Vascular inflammation further promotes oxidative stress, diminished synthesis of vasodilators, proaggregatory and procoagulant state. These changes translate into vasoconstriction, impaired circulation and thrombotic complications. Aspirin inhibits thromboxane synthesis, abolishes platelets activation and acetylates enzymes switching them to the synthesis of anti-inflammatory substances. Aspirin pleiotropic effects have not been fully elucidated yet. In secondary prevention studies, the decrease in cardiovascular events with aspirin outweighs bleeding risks, but this is not the case in primary prevention settings. Ongoing trials will provide more evidence on whether to expand the use of aspirin or stay within current recommendations.

Influence of age on respiratory modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity, blood pressure and baroreflex function in humans.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? Does ageing influence the respiratory-related bursting of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and the association between the rhythmic fluctuations in MSNA and blood pressure (Traube-Hering waves) that occur with respiration? What is the main finding and its importance? Despite the age-related elevation in MSNA, the cyclical inhibition of MSNA during respiration is similar between young and older individuals. Furthermore, central respiratory-sympathetic coupling plays a role in the generation of Traube-Hering waves in both young and older humans. Healthy ageing and alterations in respiratory-sympathetic coupling have been independently linked with heightened sympathetic neural vasoconstrictor activity. We investigated how age influences the respiratory-related modulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and the association between the rhythmic fluctuations in MSNA and blood pressure that occur with respiration (Traube-Hering waves; THW). Ten young (22 ± 2 years; mean ± SD) and 10 older healthy men (58 ± 6 years) were studied while resting supine and breathing spontaneously. MSNA, blood pressure and respiration were recorded simultaneously. Resting values were ascertained and respiratory cycle-triggered averaging of MSNA and blood pressure measurements performed. The MSNA burst incidence was higher in older individuals [22.7 ± 9.2 versus 42.2 ± 13.7 bursts (100 heart beats)(-1), P < 0.05], and was reduced to a similar extent in the inspiratory to postinspiratory period in young and older subjects (by ∼ 25% compared with mid- to late expiration). A similar attenuation of MSNA burst frequency (in bursts per minute), amplitude and total activity (burst frequency × mean burst amplitude) was also observed in the inspiratory to postinspiratory period in both groups. A significant positive correlation between respiratory-related MSNA and the magnitude of Traube-Hering waves was observed in all young (100%) and most older subjects (80%). These data suggest that the strength of the cyclical inhibition of MSNA during respiration is similar between young and older individuals; thus, alterations in respiratory-sympathetic coupling appear not to contribute to the age-related elevation in MSNA. Furthermore, central respiratory-sympathetic coupling plays a role in the generation of Traube-Hering waves in both healthy young and older humans.

Left ventricular hypertrophy and mortality in ethnic minority groups in the UK: e-ECHOES study.

OBJECTIVES: Hypertension is the key modifiable cardiovascular risk factor but is underdiagnosed, and its scale in South Asian and African-Caribbean communities is unknown. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a measure of target organ damage in uncontrolled hypertension. The study assesses LVH prevalence in South Asian and African-Caribbean communities and its impact on mortality. METHOD: This study is based on the large prospective UK community Ethnic-Echocardiographic Heart of England Screening Study (E-ECHOES, age ≥45 years). Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) was calculated using echocardiography to establish LVH. The predictive value of LVH all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was assessed using Cox regression. RESULTS: The study included 3200 South Asians (age 59 ±â€Š10 years, 52% women, 45% had a history of hypertension, 5.8 ±â€Š1.0-year follow-up). LVH was found in 1568 (49%), of whom 45% did not have hypertension diagnosis. On Cox regression, LVH was independently associated with all-cause mortality [hazard ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01-1.88], cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio 2.64, 95% CI 1.21-3.73). The projected overall hypertension prevalence was 82%, undiagnosed hypertension prevalence 37%. The study included 1858 African-Caribbeans (age 62 ±â€Š12, 45% women, 45% had history of hypertension, 5.1 ±â€Š0.9-year follow-up). LVH was found in 1186 (64%), of whom 32% did not have hypertension diagnosis. LVH was borderline associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.57, 95% CI 1.01-2.44), but not cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio 1.82, 95% CI 0.80-4.16). The projected overall hypertension prevalence was 78.5%, and undiagnosed hypertension prevalence was 20.8%. CONCLUSION: UK South Asians and African-Caribbeans have a high prevalence of hypertension, which is often underdiagnosed and poorly controlled.

External Validation of COOL-AF Scores in the Asian Pacific Heart Rhythm Society Atrial Fibrillation Registry.

Background: The COOL-AF (Cohort of Antithrombotic Use and Optimal International Normalized Ratio Levels in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) risk scores for death, bleeding, and thromboembolic events (TEs) were derived from the COOL-AF cohort from Thailand and require external validation. Objectives: The authors sought to externally validate the COOL-AF scores in the APHRS (Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society) registry and to compare their performance in the ESC-EHRA (European Society of Cardiology-European Heart Rhythm Association) EORP-AF (EURObservational Research Programme in Atrial Fibrillation) General Long-Term Registry. Methods: We studied 3,628 APHRS and 8,825 EORP-AF patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Cox regression analyses were used to test the predictive value of COOL-AF scores and to compared them with the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores. Results: Patients in the EORP-AF were older, had a higher prevalence of male sex, and were at higher thromboembolic and hemorrhagic risk than APHRS patients. After 1 year of follow-up in APHRS and EORP-AF, the following events were recorded: 87 (2.4%) and 435 (4.9%) death for any causes, 37 (1.0%) and 111 (1.3%) major bleeding, and 25 (0.7%) and 109 (1.2%) TEs, respectively. In APHRS, the COOL-AF scores showed moderate-to-good predictive value for all-cause mortality (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.71-0.83), major bleeding (AUC: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.60-0.76), and TEs (AUC: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.51-0.71), and were similar to the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores. In EORP-AF, the predictive value of COOL-AF for all-cause mortality (AUC: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.65-0.70) and major bleeding (AUC: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.60-0.62) was modest and lower than in APHRS. In EORP-AF, the COOL-AF score for TE was inferior to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. Conclusions: The COOL-AF risk scores may be an easy tool to identify Asian patients with AF at risk for death and major bleeding and performs better in Asian than in European patients with AF. (Clinical Survey on the Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation in Asia [AF-Registry]; NCT04807049).

Risk of Death and Cardiovascular Events in Asian Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Report From the Prospective APHRS Registry.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with an increased risk of adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF); however, few data are available on this topic in Asian populations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Prospective observational study conducted on patients with AF enrolled in the Asia-Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS) AF Registry. The diagnosis of COPD was based on data reported in the case report form by the investigators. Cox-regression models were used to assess the 1-year risk of a primary composite outcome of all-cause death, thromboembolic events, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure. Analysis on single outcomes and cardiovascular death was also performed. Interaction analysis was used to assess the risk of composite outcome and all-cause death in different subgroups. The study included 4094 patients with AF (mean±SD age 68.5±12 years, 34.6% female), of whom 112 (2.7%) had COPD. Patients with COPD showed a higher incidence of the primary composite outcome (25.1% versus 6.3%, P<0.001), all-cause death (14.9% versus 2.6%, P<0.001), cardiovascular death (2.0% versus 0.6%, P<0.001), and heart failure (8.3% versus 6.0%, P<0.001). On multiple Cox-regression analysis, COPD was associated with a higher risk of the primary composite outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 3.17 [95% CI, 2.05-4.90]), all-cause death (HR, 3.59 [95% CI, 2.04-6.30]), and heart failure (HR, 3.32 [95% CI, 1.56-7.03]); no statistically significant differences were found for other outcomes. The association between COPD and mortality was significantly modified by the use of beta blockers (Pint=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: In Asian patients with AF, COPD is associated with worse prognosis. In patients with AF and COPD, the use of beta blockers was associated with a lower mortality. REGISTRATION INFORMATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04807049.

Educational status and the risk of adverse outcomes in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the prospective APHRS-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of educational status (ES) on the clinical course of Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: We used data from the prospective APHRS-AF Registry. ES was classified as follows: low (primary school), medium (secondary), and high (University). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death, thromboembolic events, acute coronary syndrome, and heart failure. Secondary outcomes were each component of the primary outcome, cardiovascular death, and major bleeding. The one-year risk of primary and secondary outcomes was assessed through Cox-regressions. Adherence to the Atrial fibrillation Better Care (ABC) pathway was assessed. RESULTS: Among 2697 AF patients (69±12 years, 34.8% females), 34.6% had low ES; 37.3% had medium ES; and 28.1% had high ES. Compared to patients with medium-high ES, patients with low ES were older, more often females, with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, and a lower ABC pathway adherence (30.4% vs. 40.2%, P<0.001). On multivariable analysis, low ES was associated with a higher risk for the primary outcome (HR 1.52,95%CI 1.11-2.06) and all-cause death (HR 1.76,95%CI 1.10-2.83) than medium-high ES. A significant interaction was found for the risk of composite outcome among the different age strata, with the higher risk in the elderly (P for int=0.008), whereas the beneficial effect of the ABC pathway was irrespective of ES (P for int=0.691). CONCLUSIONS: In Asian AF patients, low ES is associated with high mortality. Efforts to improve education and include ES evaluation in the integrated care approach for AF are necessary to reduce the cardiovascular burden in these patients.