treatment atrial fibrillation jama

IMPORTANCE: Diltiazem, a commonly prescribed ventricular rate-control medication for patients with atrial fibrillation, inhibits apixaban and rivaroxaban elimination, possibly causing overanticoagulation. OBJECTIVE: To compare serious bleeding risk for new users of apixaban or rivaroxaban with atrial fibrillation treated with diltiazem or metoprolol. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study included Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older with atrial fibrillation who initiated apixaban or rivaroxaban use and also began treatment with diltiazem or metoprolol between January 1, 2012, and November 29, 2020...

IMPORTANCE: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed antidepressants associated with a small increased risk of major bleeding. However, the risk of bleeding associated with the concomitant use of SSRIs and oral anticoagulants (OACs) has not been well characterized. OBJECTIVES: To assess whether concomitant use of SSRIs with OACs is associated with an increased risk of major bleeding compared with OAC use alone, describe how the risk varies with duration of use, and identify key clinical characteristics modifying this risk...

IMPORTANCE: Systemic amyloidosis from transthyretin (ATTR) protein is the most common type of amyloidosis that causes cardiomyopathy. OBSERVATIONS: Transthyretin (TTR) protein transports thyroxine (thyroid hormone) and retinol (vitamin A) and is synthesized predominantly by the liver. When the TTR protein misfolds, it can form amyloid fibrils that deposit in the heart causing heart failure, heart conduction block, or arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation. The biological processes by which amyloid fibrils form are incompletely understood but are associated with aging and, in some patients, affected by inherited variants in the TTR genetic sequence...

IMPORTANCE: A primary objective in managing atrial fibrillation (AF) is to optimize patients' health status, which can be done only if physicians accurately quantify the outcomes associated with AF in patients' lives. OBJECTIVE: To explore physicians' estimation of the health status of patients with AF and its association with subsequent care and outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A multicenter, prospective cohort study was conducted in 2 outpatient practices in Tokyo, Japan...

IMPORTANCE: Previous studies evaluating the association of patient sex with clinical outcomes using conventional thermal ablative modalities for atrial fibrillation (AF) such as radiofrequency or cryoablation are controversial due to mixed results. Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is a novel AF ablation energy modality that has demonstrated preferential myocardial tissue ablation with a unique safety profile. OBJECTIVE: To compare sex differences in patients undergoing PFA for AF in the Multinational Survey on the Methods, Efficacy, and Safety on the Postapproval Clinical Use of Pulsed Field Ablation (MANIFEST-PF) registry...

IMPORTANCE: Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy contributes to the onset and progression of heart failure (HF), particularly for patients with pre-HF (stage B) for whom no treatment has yet proven effective to prevent transition to overt HF (stage C). The β3-adrenergic receptors (β3ARs) may represent a new target, as their activation attenuates LV remodeling. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether activation of β3ARs by repurposing a β3AR agonist, mirabegron, is safe and effective in preventing progression of LV hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction among patients with pre- or mild HF...

IMPORTANCE: Anticoagulation management services (AMSs; ie, warfarin clinics) have evolved to include patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), but it is unknown whether DOAC therapy management services improve outcomes for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes associated with 3 DOAC care models for preventing adverse anticoagulation-related outcomes among patients with AF. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort study included 44 746 adult patients with a diagnosis of AF who initiated oral anticoagulation (DOAC or warfarin) between August 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, in 3 Kaiser Permanente (KP) regions...

IMPORTANCE: The overall success rate of circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) treatment in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) remains suboptimal, especially in older patients. OBJECTIVE: To explore the incremental benefit of low-voltage-area ablation after CPVI in older patients with paroxysmal AF. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This randomized clinical trial was an investigator-initiated trial to compare the efficacy of additional low-voltage-area ablation beyond CPVI vs CPVI alone in older patients with paroxysmal AF...

IMPORTANCE: Although reduced doses of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are approved for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) at high risk of bleeding, little is known about dosing accuracy, particularly in patients with renal dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether underdosing of DOACs is associated with longitudinal adherence to anticoagulation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cohort analysis used data from the Symphony Health claims data set...

IMPORTANCE: Hereditary transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis is an increasingly recognized cause of heart failure (HF) with distinct treatment. The amyloidogenic pV142I (V122I) variant is present in 3% to 4% of Black individuals in the US and increases the risk for atrial fibrillation (AF), HF, and mortality. Since hereditary transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis demonstrates age-dependent anatomic penetrance, evaluation later in life may identify survivors at particularly high risk. OBJECTIVE: To estimate age-dependent risks for cardiovascular events with the variant...

IMPORTANCE: The temporal trend in adverse events regarding stroke prevention for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in the direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) era was rarely investigated comprehensively, especially taking into account potential changes in patient characteristics and anticoagulation treatment. OBJECTIVE: To investigate time trends in patient characteristics, anticoagulation treatment, and prognosis of patients with incident NVAF in the Netherlands...

IMPORTANCE: The underuse of oral anticoagulation in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major issue that is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: To understand the lack of anticoagulation by assessing the perceptions of patients with AF who are not receiving anticoagulation and their physician's about the risk of stroke and the benefits and risks of anticoagulation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study included patients with nonvalvular AF and a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 or more (calculated as congestive heart failure, hypertension, age 75 years and older, diabetes, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, and sex category) who were not receiving anticoagulation and were enrolled from 19 sites within the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence Registry (PINNACLE Registry) between January 18, 2017, and May 7, 2018...

IMPORTANCE: There is increasing interest in heart rhythm monitoring and technologies to detect subclinical atrial fibrillation (AF), which may lead to incidental diagnosis of bradyarrhythmias. OBJECTIVE: To assess bradyarrhythmia prevalence and prognostic significance in persons screened for AF using implantable loop recorder (ILR) compared with unscreened persons. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a post hoc analysis of the Implantable Loop Recorder Detection of Atrial Fibrillation to Prevent Stroke (LOOP) randomized clinical trial, which took place in 4 sites in Denmark...

IMPORTANCE: Ibrutinib has been associated with serious cardiotoxic arrhythmias. In preclinical models, these events are paralleled or proceeded by diffuse myocardial injury (inflammation and fibrosis). Yet whether this is seen in patients or has implications for future cardiotoxic risk is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and outcomes of myocardial injury among patients with ibrutinib-related cardiotoxicity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study included consecutive patients treated with ibrutinib from 2012 to 2019, phenotyped using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) from a large US Comprehensive Cancer Center registry...

IMPORTANCE: Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) with a pacemaker may benefit from a higher, more physiologic backup heart rate than the nominal 60 beats per minute (bpm) setting. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of a moderately accelerated personalized backup heart rate compared with 60 bpm (usual care) in patients with preexisting pacemaker systems that limit pacemaker-mediated dyssynchrony. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This blinded randomized clinical trial enrolled patients with stage B and C HFpEF from the University of Vermont Medical Center pacemaker clinic between June 2019 and November 2020...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease with a high degree of association with and possible etiological factor for several cardiovascular diseases. Patients who are admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are incredibly sick, have multiple co-morbidities, and are at substantial risk for mortality. A study of cardiovascular manifestations and disease processes in patients with OSA admitted to the ICU is very intriguing, and its impact is likely significant. Although much is known about these cardiovascular complications associated with OSA, there is still a paucity of high-quality evidence trying to establish causality between the two...

IMPORTANCE: Whether the simultaneous intravenous administration of potassium and magnesium is associated with the probability of spontaneous conversion to sinus rhythm (SCV) in the acute treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess potassium and magnesium administration and SCV probability in AF and AFL in the emergency department. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A registry-based cohort study was conducted in the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria...

Importance: Older age may be accompanied by changes in the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics or both of medications that can result in altered safety and efficacy profiles. Objective: To assess representation of older adults in clinical trials of new drug applications (NDAs) and biologics license applications (BLAs). Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study analyzed US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data for NDAs and BLAs approved from 2010 through 2019...

Importance: For some patients receiving warfarin, adding aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) increases bleeding risk with unclear treatment benefit. Reducing excess aspirin use could be associated with improved clinical outcomes. Objective: To assess changes in aspirin use, bleeding, and thrombosis event rates among patients treated with warfarin. Design, Setting, and Participants: This pre-post observational quality improvement study was conducted from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, at a 6-center quality improvement collaborative in Michigan among 6738 adults taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation and/or venous thromboembolism without an apparent indication for concomitant aspirin...

Importance: The CHA2DS2-VASc score (calculated as congestive heart failure, hypertension, age 75 years and older, diabetes, stroke or TIA, vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years, and sex category) is the standard for assessing risk of stroke and systemic embolism and includes age and thromboembolic history. To our knowledge, no studies have comprehensively evaluated safety and effectiveness outcomes among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation receiving oral anticoagulants according to independent, categorical risk strata...