scholarly journals Prevention of stroke in chronic andrecurrent atrial fibrillation

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Maree Kelly ◽  
Debra Kerr ◽  
Ruth Hew

The objective was to determine the proportion of patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) in atrialfibrillation (AF) who are at high risk of thromboembolic stroke as defined by the American Heart Association andwho might benefit from anticoagulation therapy.We enrolled all patients identified as having AF between 28th June 1999 and 26th March 2000. Data collectedincluded demographic information, presenting complaint, discharge diagnosis, risk factors for thromboembolic stroke,contraindications to anticoagulation (as defined by the Stroke Prevention in AF Investigators), admission anddischarge medications, and cardiac rhythm on presentation and at discharge.193 patients were identified within the study period. Two patient histories were not available for review. 121 patientshad a prior history of AF. Of these, 65 patients were at high risk for thromboembolic stroke and had no contra-indicationto anticoagulation therapy. 43 (66%) were on Warfarin at presentation but 14 (22%) were on Aspirinand 8 (12%) were on neither.34% of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation presenting to the ED, at high risk of thromboembolic stroke andwithout contra-indication to anticoagulation, were not anticoagulated on presentation. ED attendance provides anopportunity for intervention for the prevention of stroke in this group.

2020 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000000975
Author(s):  
Alicia Zha ◽  
Adriana Rosero ◽  
Rene Malazarte ◽  
Shima Bozorgui ◽  
Christy Ankrom ◽  
...  

IntroductionTissue plasminogen activator (tPA) refusal is 4%–6% for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the emergency room. Telestroke (TS) has increased the use of tPA for AIS, but is accompanied by barriers in communication that can affect tPA consent. We characterized the incidence of tPA refusal in our TS network and its associated reasons.MethodsPatients with AIS who were offered tPA within 4.5 hours from symptom onset according to American Heart Association guidelines were identified within our Lone Star Stroke Consortium Telestroke Registry from September 2015 to December 2018. We compared baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes between patients who refused tPA and patients who accepted tPA.ResultsAmong the 1242 patients who qualified for tPA and were offered treatment, 8% refused tPA. Female and non-Hispanic black patients and patients with prior history of stroke were more likely to decline tPA. Patients who refused tPA presented with a lower NIHSS and was associated with a final diagnosis of stroke mimic (odds ratio [0.23]; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15–0.36). Good outcome (90 days modified Rankin Scale 0–2) was the same among patients who received tPA and those who refused (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.42–1.54). The most common reasons for refusal were rapidly improving and mild/non-disabling symptoms and concern for potential side effects.ConclusiontPA refusal over TS is comparable to previously reported rates; there was no difference in outcomes among patients who received tPA compared to those who refused. Sex and racial differences associated with an increase tPA refusal warrant further investigation in efforts to achieve equity/parity in tPA decisions.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ruzieh ◽  
Gerald V Naccarelli ◽  
Deborah Wolbrette ◽  
Mauricio Sendra-Ferrer ◽  
John v Harskamp ◽  
...  

Introduction: Guidelines recommend oral anticoagulants (OAC) in high risk atrial fibrillation (HRAF) patients. It has been reported that >40% of such patients are not taking an OAC. We observed that active AF often was not present in patients labeled as having AF (either because of wrong diagnosis or no AF in last 5 years). Hypothesis: We undertook a systematic electronic medical record (EMR) review to determine the presence or absence of active AF to accurately identify HRAF patients requiring an OAC. Methods: We reviewed 6514 patients with presumed AF and 2 or more outpatient visits documented by at least one of: billing diagnosis, EMR encounter diagnosis, EMR problem list, or EKG interpretation. Results: Active AF was noted in 4555/6514 patients (69.7%) after 1959 patients with no prior history of AF or inactive AF were withdrawn from further analysis. In active AF patients, 3869 had HRAF with CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc ≥2. OAC use was statistically higher (p<0.0001 by McNamer’s test) in the active HRAF group [3090/3869 (79.9%) compared to the presumed HRAF group (62.9%)], Figure 1. There was no statistically significant difference in the use of OAC between men (80.7%) and women (78.8%), even in women with a CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc ≥3 (79.9%). In HRAF patients not taking an OAC (20.1%), expert review frequently disagreed with that recommendation suggesting that OACs can be taken in up to 92% of HRAF patients. Conclusions: 1) Current registries with un-adjudicated EMR diagnoses over-report the number of HRAF patients not taking an OAC; 2) Expert adjudication of active AF diagnosis identifies a smaller OAC treatment gap than previously described; 3) absolute contraindication or repeated refusal to take an OAC exists in less than 10% of HRAF patients; and, 4) there were no gender differences in OAC use.


Author(s):  
Wesley T O’Neal ◽  
J’Neka Claxton ◽  
Richard MacLehose ◽  
Lin Chen ◽  
Lindsay G Bengtson ◽  
...  

Background: Early cardiology involvement within 90 days of atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnosis is associated with greater likelihood of oral anticoagulant use and a reduced risk of stroke. Due to variation in cardiovascular care for patients with cancer, it is possible that a similar association does not exist for AF patients with cancer. Methods: We examined the association of early cardiology involvement with oral anticoagulation use among non-valvular AF patients with history of cancer (past or active), using data from 388,045 patients (mean age=68±15 years; 59% male) from the MarketScan database (2009-2014). ICD-9 codes in any position were used to identify cancer diagnosis prior to AF diagnosis. Provider specialty and filled anticoagulant prescriptions 3 months prior to and 6 months after AF diagnosis were obtained. Poisson regression models were used to compute the probability of an oral anticoagulant prescription fill and Cox regression was used to estimate the risk of stroke and major bleeding. Results: A total of 64,016 (17%) AF patients had a prior history of cancer. Cardiology involvement was less likely to occur among patients with history of cancer than those without (relative risk=0.92, 95% confidence interval (0.91, 0.93)). Similar differences were observed for cancers of the colon (0.90 (0.88, 0.92)), lung (0.76 (0.74, 0.78)), pancreas (0.74 (0.69, 0.80)), and hematologic system (0.88 (0.87, 0.90)), while no differences were observed for breast or prostate cancers. Patients with cancer were less likely to fill prescriptions for anticoagulants (0.89 (0.88, 0.90)) than those without cancer, and similar results were observed for cancers of the colon, lung, prostate, pancreas, and hematologic system. However, patients with cancer were more likely to fill prescriptions for anticoagulants (1.48 (1.45, 1.52)) if seen by a cardiology provider, regardless of cancer type. A reduced risk of stroke (hazard ratio=0.89 (0.81, 0.99)) was observed among all cancer patients who were seen by a cardiology provider than among those who were not, without an increased risk of bleeding (1.04 (0.95, 1.13)). Conclusion: AF patients with cancer were less likely to see a cardiologist, and less likely to fill an anticoagulant prescription than AF patients without cancer. However, cardiology involvement was associated with increased anticoagulant prescription fills and reduced risk of stroke, suggesting a beneficial role for cardiology providers to improve outcomes in AF patients with history of cancer.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethem Murat Arsava ◽  
Ezgi Yetim ◽  
Ugur Canpolat ◽  
Necla Ozer ◽  
Kudret Aytemir ◽  
...  

Background: The role of short-lasting (<30 sec) runs of atrial fibrillation (AF) in ischemic stroke pathophysiology is currently unknown. Although these non-sustained attacks are considered as a risk factor for future development of longer lasting, classical AF episodes, prior research has highlighted that associated clinical stroke features are not entirely similar between these two types of arrhythmias. In this study we determined the prevalence of short-lasting AF in stroke-free controls and compared it to a consecutive series of ischemic stroke patients. Methods: A total 235 controls, without any prior history stroke or AF, were evaluated with ECG and 24-hour Holter monitoring for the presence of <30-sec or ≥30-sec lasting AF episodes. The results were compared to a consecutive series of ischemic stroke patients without prior history of AF (n=456). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine demographic and cardiovascular factors related to <30-sec lasting AF and its association with ischemic stroke. Results: Expectedly, the frequency of newly diagnosed ≥30-sec lasting AF, detected either on ECG or Holter monitoring, was significantly higher in patients with ischemic stroke (18% vs. 2%; p<0.01). Non-sustained AF was positively related to old age (p<0.01), female gender (p=0.01) and hypertension (p<0.01) in univariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, after adjustment for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, presence of non-sustained AF was significantly higher among both cryptogenic (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.02-3.10) and non-cryptogenic (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.15-2.94) stroke patients with respect to controls. Conclusion: Our study shows a higher prevalence of non-sustained AF episodes in ischemic stroke patients in comparison to controls. Whether this cross-sectional association translates into causality in terms of stroke pathophysiology will be the subject of future studies.


Author(s):  
Hidehiro Kaneko ◽  
Yuichiro Yano ◽  
Hidetaka Itoh ◽  
Kojiro Morita ◽  
Hiroyuki Kiriyama ◽  
...  

Background: Heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are growing in prevalence worldwide. Few studies have assessed to what extent stage 1 hypertension in the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) blood pressure (BP) guidelines is associated with incident HF and AF. Methods: Analyses were conducted using a nationwide health claims database collected in the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2018 (n=2,196,437; mean age, 44.0±10.9 years; 584% men). No participants were taking antihypertensive medication or had a known history of cardiovascular disease. Each participant was categorized as having normal BP (systolic BP [SBP]<120 mm Hg and diastolic BP [DBP]<80 mm Hg; n=1,155,885); elevated BP (SBP 120-129 mm Hg and DBP<80 mm Hg; n=337,390); stage 1 hypertension (SBP 130-139 mm Hg or DBP 80-89 mm Hg; n=459,820); or stage 2 hypertension (SBP≥140 mm Hg or DBP≥90 mm Hg; n=243,342). Using Cox proportional hazards models, we identified associations between BP groups and HF/AF events. We also calculated the population attributable fractions (PAFs) to estimate the proportion of HF and AF events that would be preventable if participants with stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension were to have normal BP. Results: Over a mean follow-up of 1,112±854 days, 28,056 incident HF and 7,774 incident AF events occurred. After multivariable adjustment, hazard ratios for HF and AF events were 1.10 (95% Confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.15) and 1.07 (95% CI, 0.99-1.17), respectively, for elevated BP; 1.30 (95% CI, 1.26-1.35) and 1.21 (95% CI, 1.13-1.29), respectively, for stage 1 hypertension; and 2.05 (95% CI, 1.97-2.13) and 1.52 (95% CI, 1.41-1.64), respectively, for stage 2 hypertension vs normal BP. PAFs for HF associated with stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension were 23.2% (95% CI, 20.3%-26.0%) and 51.2% (95% CI, 49.2%-53.1%), respectively. The PAFs for AF associated with stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension were 17.4% (95% CI, 11.5%-22.9%) and 34.3% (95% CI, 29.1%-39.2%), respectively. Conclusions: Both stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension were associated with a greater incidence of HF and AF in the general population. The ACC/AHA BP classification system may help identify adults at higher risk for HF and AF events.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah A Alissa ◽  
Yuko Inoue ◽  
Jochen Cammin ◽  
Qiulin Tang ◽  
Elliot Fishman ◽  
...  

Background: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of cardioembolic stroke. Previous studies demonstrate that the Left atrial appendage (LAA) is the most common site of intracardiac thrombus, and the LAA morphology alone may determine the risk of stroke. We aimed to determine the association between LAA regional dysfunction using novel, noninvasive, image-based motion-estimation CT (iME) and prior history of stroke in patients with AF. Methods: Among the patients with history of AF referred for ablation who underwent pre-ablation CT with retrospective ECG gating, we identified 18 patients with a prior history of stroke or TIA, and 18 age- and gender-matched controls. The patients in AF at the time of CT were excluded. Four-dimensional motion vector field was estimated from reconstructed CT images using iME at every 5% RR interval. To assess myocardial deformation, area change ratio and area change rate were calculated over the endocardial surface of the LA and LAA. Univariate and multivariate comparisons were made by using binary logistic regression model. Results: A total of 36 patients (mean age 67.6 ± 8.1 years, 66.7% male, 16.7% persistent AF) were included in the study. Univariate analysis showed that the LA pre-atrial contraction area change ratio and LAA maximum area change ratio were significantly lower (P= 0.02 and 0.04, respectively) in the stroke/TIA group compared to the control group. These changes remained statistically significant in multivariate analysis (P=0.03 and 0.04, respectively) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, LV ejection fraction, type of AF, and CHADS score. Conclusions: LAA regional dysfunction is associated with stroke/TIA in patients with AF. LAA regional dysfunction detected by iME could represent a marker for stroke and a possible therapeutic target.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 552-554
Author(s):  
Ronald David

The recommended techniques for external cardiac compression during cardiopulmonary resuscitation of the newborn are reviewed. The American Heart Association advises the rescuer to depress the infant's midsternum with the index and forefingers. An alternative recommendation is to encircle the chest with both hands and appose the thumbs on the midsternum. The cases reported here prove the superiority of the latter maneuver over the former in improving cardiac output and systemic blood pressures. The history of external cardiac compression in infants and children is briefly reviewed, further supporting the conclusion that the technique of encircling the chest with thumbs at midsternum is more efficacious and hence the preferred approach to closed chest cardiac massage in the newborn.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Ip ◽  
Zulfiqar Qutrio Baloch ◽  
manel boumegouas ◽  
Abdullah Al abcha ◽  
Steven Do ◽  
...  

Introduction: Certain patient demographics and biomarkers have been shown to predict survival in patients infected with COVID-19. However, predictors of outcome in patients who are critically ill and require advanced respiratory support are unclear. Methods: We performed a multicenter analysis of 159 consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) between March 01, 2020 and April 30, 2020. Patients were then followed until May 23, 2020. Demographic data (age, sex, race, BMI) and past medical history (hypertension, diabetes, COPD, CKD, history of cardiac ischemic disease, atrial fibrillation and heart failure) were recorded. Laboratory values (troponin, CPK, pro-BNP, ferritin, LDH and d-dimer) were analyzed. Patient status was classified as either alive or deceased at hospital discharge or the end of follow up period. Results: Mean patient age was 66+/-15 and 53% were male. Mean BMI was 31+/- 9. Mean hospital ICU stay was 11+/-8 days. Mortality rate of this ICU cohort at the end of follow-up was 63%. Fifty-five (34%) patients were discharged from the hospital. A multivariable logistic regression analysis identified four factors (age, prior history of diabetes, prior history of atrial fibrillation and elevated troponin) that had significant and independent contributions to the likelihood of survival. Each increase in decade of age above 40 (p = 0.010) was predicted to reduce survival by 30%, the presence of diabetes (p = 0.041) by 57%, a prior history of atrial fibrillation (p= 0.011) by 75%, and each increase of 0.1 ng/mL of troponin above 0.05 ng/ml (p = 0.001) by 55%. Conclusion: Mortality of critically ill COVID-19 patients is high. Early aggressive treatment of high-risk patients identified in this study (advanced age, history of diabetes and atrial fibrillation and elevated troponin) could improve clinical outcome. The highly predictive value of elevated troponin levels on survival may indicate cardiac involvement of COVID-19 infection as a determinant of mortality. Additionally, of available published literature at this time, this is the first study that suggests a relationship between atrial fibrillation and increased mortality from COVID-19. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document