scholarly journals Rhythm Control in Heart Failure Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-166
Author(s):  
William Eysenck ◽  
Magdi Saba

AF and heart failure (HF) commonly coexist. Left atrial ablation is an effective treatment to maintain sinus rhythm (SR) in patients with AF. Recent evidence suggests that the use of ablation for AF in patients with HF is associated with an improved left ventricular ejection fraction and lower death and HF hospitalisation rates. We performed a systematic search of world literature to analyse the association in more detail and to assess the utility of AF ablation as a non-pharmacological tool in the treatment of patients with concomitant HF.

Author(s):  
Andreas Rillig ◽  
Christina Magnussen ◽  
Ann-Kathrin Ozga ◽  
Anna Suling ◽  
Axel Brandes ◽  
...  

Background: Even on optimal therapy, many patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation experience cardiovascular complications. Additional treatments are needed to reduce these events, especially in patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: This prespecified subanalysis of the randomized EAST - AFNET 4 trial assessed the effect of systematic, early rhythm control therapy (ERC; using antiarrhythmic drugs or catheter ablation) compared to usual care (UC, allowing rhythm control therapy to improve symptoms) on the two primary outcomes of the trial and on selected secondary outcomes in patients with heart failure, defined as heart failure symptoms NYHA II-III or left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <50%. Results: This analysis included 798 patients (300 (37.6%) female, median age 71.0 [64.0, 76.0] years, 785 with known LVEF). The majority of patients (n=442) had HFpEF (LVEF≥50%; mean LVEF 61% ± 6.3%), the others had heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (n=211; LVEF40-49%; mean LVEF 44% ± 2.9%) or heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (n=132; LVEF<40%; mean LVEF 31% ± 5.5%). Over the 5.1-year median follow-up, the composite primary outcome of cardiovascular death, stroke or hospitalization for worsening of heart failure or for acute coronary syndrome occurred less often in patients randomized to ERC (94/396; 5.7 per 100 patient-years) compared with patients randomized to UC (130/402; 7.9 per 100 patient-years; hazard ratio 0.74 [0.56-0.97], p=0.03), not altered by heart failure status (interaction p-value=0.63). The primary safety outcome (death, stroke, or serious adverse events related to rhythm control therapy) occurred in 71/396 (17.9%) heart failure patients randomized to ERC and in 87/402 (21.6%) heart failure patients randomized to UC (hazard ratio 0.85 [0.62-1.17], p=0.33). LV ejection fraction improved in both groups (LVEF change at two years: ERC 5.3%±11.6%, UC 4.9%±11.6%, p=0.43). ERC also improved the composite outcome of death or hospitalization for worsening of heart failure. Conclusions: Rhythm control therapy conveys clinical benefit when initiated within one year of diagnosing atrial fibrillation in patients with signs or symptoms of heart failure. Clinical Trial Registration: Unique Identifiers: ISRCTN04708680, NCT01288352, EudraCT2010-021258-20, Study web site www.easttrial.org; URLs: www.controlled-trials.com; https://clinicaltrials.gov; https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu


Author(s):  
Naila Niaz ◽  
Syed Muhammad Faraz Ali ◽  
Attaullah Younas ◽  
Tallat Anwar Faridi ◽  
Asif Hanif

Despite advancing medical technology, Heart Failure (HF) is still a prevalent disease with high mortality and high health expenditure. To improve patient outcome and prognosis, it is important to identify the association of risk factors which leads to the co-morbid depression and anxiety in heart failure patients. Objectives: To determine the association of depression and/or anxiety with age, gender and ejection fraction in heart failure patients. Methods: It is an analytical cross sectional study including 323 CHF patients who visited the to the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology hospital Out-Patient Department, 250 were males and 73 were females, mean age was 54.1 ± 9.2 years having 70 years as maximum and 25 years as minimum.  Data collection was done using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire to assess depression and anxiety. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. For quantitative data, mean and standard deviation was calculated and for qualitative data frequency and percentages was calculated. To measure the association of anxiety and depression with age categories, ejection fraction and gender, chi square test was used. P values less than and equal to 0.05 were taken as significant. Results: No association of depression and anxiety with gender and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) was observed. However, depression and anxiety were found to be significantly associated with age Conclusions: The study concluded that age is a strong risk factor of depression and anxiety in congestive heart failure patients. Multidisciplinary health care team approach and interventions are required to cater chronic heart failure (CHF) patients to address the psychological burden.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document