Abstract
Background
Atrial fibrillation (AF) in the presence of heart failure (HF) is associated with poor outcomes including a high-risk of stroke and other thromboembolic events. Identifying patients without AF who are at high-risk of developing this arrhythmia has important clinical implications.
Aims
To develop a risk score to identify HF patients at high risk of developing AF.
Methods
The COMMANDER-HF trial enrolled 5022 patients with HF and a LVEF ≤ 40%, history of coronary artery disease, and absence of AF at baseline (confirmed with an electrocardiogram). Patients were randomized to either rivaroxaban (2.5 mg bid) or placebo. New-onset AF was confirmed by the investigator at study visits.
Results
241 (4.8%) patients developed AF during the follow-up (median 21 months). Older age (≥ 65 years), LVEF < 35%, history of PCI or CABG, White race, SBP < 110 mmHg, and higher BMI (≥ 25 kg/m2) were independently associated with risk of new-onset AF, whereas the use of DAPT was associated with a lower risk of new-onset AF. We then built a risk score from these variables (with good accuracy C-index = 0.71) and calibration across observed and predicted tertiles of risk. New-onset AF events rates increased steeply by increasing tertiles of the risk-score. Compared to tertile 1, the risk of new-onset AF was 2.5-fold higher in tertile 2, and 6.3-fold higher in tertile 3. Rivaroxaban had no effect in reducing new-onset AF. In time-updated models, new-onset AF was associated with a higher risk of subsequent all-cause death: HR (95%CI) 1.38 (1.11–1.73).
Conclusions
A well-calibrated risk-score identified patients at risk of new-onset AF in the COMMANDER-HF trial. Patients who developed AF had a higher risk of subsequent death.
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References
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Acknowledgements
JF and FZ are supported by the RHU Fight-HF, a public grant overseen by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the second “Investissements d’Avenir” program (reference: ANR-15-RHUS-0004), and by the French PIA project “Lorraine Université d’Excellence” (reference: ANR-15-IDEX-04-LUE).
Funding
The COMMANDER-HF trial was supported by Janssen Research and Development.
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Ferreira, J.P., Cleland, J.G., Lam, C.S.P. et al. New-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with worsening heart failure and coronary artery disease: an analysis from the COMMANDER-HF trial. Clin Res Cardiol 111, 50–59 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-021-01891-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-021-01891-2