Alexander C. Perino
Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
Bio
Alexander C. Perino MD is a cardiac electrophysiologist, clinical informaticist, and cardiovascular researcher. In his clinical role, Dr. Perino treats patients with heart rhythm disorders at Stanford Health Care, performing catheter ablations and cardiac device implantations. In addition to complex ablation (e.g., atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia ablation), Dr. Perino has expertise implanting leadless pacemakers, subcutaneous ICDs, and conduction system pacing leads (i.e., His bundle and left bundle branch area pacing leads). Dr. Perino is the medical informatics director for the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford Health Care, providing informatics direction to improve 1) the quality and safety of cardiovascular care delivery and 2) patient and clinician experience derived from the electronic health record and related information and communication technologies. As a cardiovascular researcher, Dr. Perino uses large datasets to examine quality of care, outcomes, and risk prediction for heart rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease.
Clinical Focus
- Cardiac Electrophysiology
- Catheter Ablation
- Atrial Fibrillation
- Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
- Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)
- Atrial Flutter
- Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD)
- Pacemaker (transvenous, leadless, conduction system pacing)
- Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
- Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology
Academic Appointments
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Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine - Cardiovascular Medicine
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Member, Cardiovascular Institute
Administrative Appointments
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Associate Director of Inpatient Electrophysiology, Stanford Health Care (2022 - Present)
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Director, Medical Informatics for Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford Health Care (2020 - Present)
Professional Education
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Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology (2020)
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Board Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiac Electrophysiology (2020)
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Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease (2019)
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Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine (2015)
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Fellowship: Stanford University Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship (2020) CA
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Fellowship: Stanford University Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship (2018) CA
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Residency: Stanford University (2015) CA
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Medical Education: University of Colorado School of Medicine (2012) CO
Clinical Trials
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Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) Vs Anti-Arrhythmic Drug (AAD) Therapy As a First Line Treatment for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation
Recruiting
The purpose of this study is to establish the safety and effectiveness of pulsed field ablation as a first-line ablation treatment for subjects with persistent atrial fibrillation as compared to subjects who received an initial treatment with anti-arrhythmic drugs.
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The Rhythm Evaluation for AntiCoagulaTion With Continuous Monitoring of Atrial Fibrillation
Recruiting
REACT-AF is a multicenter prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE design), controlled trial comparing the current Standard Of Care (SOC) of continuous Direct Oral Anticoagulation (DOAC) use versus time-delimited (1 month) DOAC guided by an AF-sensing Smart Watch (AFSW) in participants with a history of paroxysmal or persistent Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and low-to-moderate stroke risk.
All Publications
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NOVEL ECG CRITERIA TO GUIDE SUCCESSFUL ABLATION OF VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIAS ARISING FROM THE ENDOCARDIAL CARDIAC CRUX
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2024: 265
View details for Web of Science ID 001291434300266
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Cardioneuroablation for the management of patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope and symptomatic bradyarrhythmias: the CNA-FWRD Registry.
Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
2024
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cardioneuroablation has been emerging as a potential treatment alternative in appropriately selected patients with cardioinhibitory vasovagal syncope (VVS) and functional AV block (AVB). However the majority of available evidence has been derived from retrospective cohort studies performed by experienced operators.METHODS: The Cardioneuroablation for the Management of Patients with Recurrent Vasovagal Syncope and Symptomatic Bradyarrhythmias (CNA-FWRD) Registry is a multicenter prospective registry with cross-over design evaluating acute and long-term outcomes of VVS and AVB patients treated by conservative therapy and CNA.RESULTS: The study is a prospective observational registry with cross-over design for analysis of outcomes between a control group (i.e., behavioral and medical therapy only) and intervention group (Cardioneuroablation). Primary and secondary outcomes will only be assessed after enrollment in the registry. The follow-up period will be 3years after enrollment.CONCLUSIONS: There remains a lack of prospective multicentered data for long-term outcomes comparing conservative therapy to radiofrequency CNA procedures particularly for key outcomes including recurrence of syncope, AV block, durable impact of disruption of the autonomic nervous system, and long-term complications after CNA. The CNA-FWRD registry has the potential to help fill this information gap.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10840-024-01789-9
View details for PubMedID 38499825
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ACC/AHA Hypertension Guidelines and CHA2DS2-VASc Up-Scoring in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.
JAMA network open
2023; 6 (9): e2335722
View details for DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35722
View details for PubMedID 37751209
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Comparative arrhythmia patterns among patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
2023
Abstract
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are widely used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Limited studies have shown an association between treatment-limiting arrhythmias and TKI, particularly ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. We sought to comprehensively assess the arrhythmia burden in patients receiving ibrutinib vs non-BTK TKI vs non-TKI therapies.We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who received long-term cardiac event monitors while on ibrutinib, non-BTK TKIs, or non-TKI therapy for a hematologic malignancy between 2014 and 2022.One hundred ninety-three patients with hematologic malignancies were included (ibrutinib = 72, non-BTK TKI = 46, non-TKI therapy = 75). The average duration of TKI therapy was 32 months in the ibrutinib group vs 64 months in the non-BTK TKI group (p = 0.003). The ibrutinib group had a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (n = 32 [44%]) compared to the non-BTK TKI (n = 7 [15%], p = 0.001) and non-TKI (n = 15 [20%], p = 0.002) groups. Similarly, the prevalence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia was higher in the ibrutinib group (n = 31, 43%) than the non-BTK TKI (n = 8 [17%], p = 0.004) and non-TKI groups (n = 20 [27%], p = 0.04). TKI therapy was held in 25% (n = 18) of patients on ibrutinib vs 4% (n = 2) on non-BTK TKIs (p = 0.005) secondary to arrhythmias.In this large retrospective analysis of patients with hematologic malignancies, patients receiving ibrutinib had a higher prevalence of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias compared to those receiving other TKI, with a higher rate of treatment interruption due to arrhythmias.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10840-023-01575-z
View details for PubMedID 37256462
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Association of CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED to Frailty and Frail Outcomes: From the TREAT-AF Study.
American heart journal
2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Morbidity and mortality associated with high CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores is not specific to atrial fibrillation (AF). Frailty could be an important contributor to this morbidity and mortality while being mechanistically independent from AF. We sought to evaluate the association of stroke and bleeding risk to non-cardiovascular frail events and the association of stroke prevention therapy to outcomes in frail patients with atrial fibrillation.METHODS: Using the TREAT-AF (The Retrospective Evaluation and Assessment of Therapies in AF) study from the Veterans Health Administration, we identified patients with newly diagnosed AF from 2004-2014. Baseline frailty was identified using a previously validated claims-based index requiring ≥2 of 12 ICD-9 diagnoses. Logistic regressions modeled the association between CHA2DS2-VASc and modified HAS-BLED and frailty. Cox proportional hazard regressions were used to evaluate the association between CHA2DS2-VASc and modified HAS-BLED and a composite of non-cardiovascular frail events (fractures, urinary tract infections, bacterial pneumonia, or dehydration). We also evaluated the association of oral anticoagulant (OAC) use with stroke, bleeding, and 1-year mortality in frail patients and non-frail patients.RESULTS: In 213,435 patients (age 70 ± 11; 98% male; CHA2DS2-VASc 2.4±1.7) with AF, 8498 (4%) were frail. CHA2DS2-VASc > 0 and HAS-BLED > 0 were strongly associated with frailty (Odds Ratio [OR] 13.3 (95% CI: 11.6-15.2) for CHA2DS2-VASc 4+ and OR 13.4 (10.2 - 17.5) for HAS-BLED 3+). After adjusting for covariates, CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED > 0 were associated with higher risk of non-cardiovascular frail events (Hazard Ratio [HR] 2.1 (95% CI: 2.0-2.2) for CHA2DS2-VASc 4+ and HR 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3-1.5) for HAS-BLED 3+). In frail patients, OAC use was associated with significantly lower risk of 1-year mortality (HR 0.82; 95% CI 0.72 - 0.94, p = 0.0031) but did not reach significance for risk of stroke (HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.55 - 1.18, p = 0.26) or major bleeding (HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.93 - 1.25, p = 0.34).CONCLUSION: High CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores are strongly associated with frailty. However, in frail patients, OAC use was associated with reduction in 1-year mortality. For this challenging clinical population with competing risks of frailty and frail events, focused prospective studies are needed to support clinical decision-making. Until then, careful evaluation of frailty should inform shared decision-making.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2023.03.015
View details for PubMedID 37024025
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No pain, no gain: intraprocedural myocardial injury current and conduction system pacing lead performance.
Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
2023
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10840-023-01485-0
View details for PubMedID 36690888
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Worldwide survey on implantation of and outcomes for conduction system pacing with His bundle and left bundle branch area pacing leads.
Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
2023: 1-12
Abstract
Adoption and outcomes for conduction system pacing (CSP), which includes His bundle pacing (HBP) or left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP), in real-world settings are incompletely understood. We sought to describe real-world adoption of CSP lead implantation and subsequent outcomes.We performed an online cross-sectional survey on the implantation and outcomes associated with CSP, between November 15, 2020, and February 15, 2021. We described survey responses and reported HBP and LBBAP outcomes for bradycardia pacing and cardiac resynchronization CRT indications, separately.The analysis cohort included 140 institutions, located on 5 continents, who contributed data to the worldwide survey on CSP. Of these, 127 institutions (90.7%) reported experience implanting CSP leads. CSP and overall device implantation volumes were reported by 84 institutions. In 2019, the median proportion of device implants with CSP, HBP, and/or LBBAP leads attempted were 4.4% (interquartile range [IQR], 1.9-12.5%; range, 0.4-100%), 3.3% (IQR, 1.3-7.1%; range, 0.2-87.0%), and 2.5% (IQR, 0.5-24.0%; range, 0.1-55.6%), respectively. For bradycardia pacing indications, HBP leads, as compared to LBBAP leads, had higher reported implant threshold (median [IQR]: 1.5 V [1.3-2.0 V] vs 0.8 V [0.6-1.0 V], p = 0.0008) and lower ventricular sensing (median [IQR]: 4.0 mV [3.0-5.0 mV] vs. 10.0 mV [7.0-12.0 mV], p < 0.0001).In conclusion, CSP lead implantation has been broadly adopted but has yet to become the default approach at most surveyed institutions. As the indications and data for CSP continue to evolve, strategies to educate and promote CSP lead implantation at institutions without CSP lead implantation experience would be necessary.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10840-022-01417-4
View details for PubMedID 36607529
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9817436
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Phrenic Relocation by Endoscopy, Intentional Pneumothorax Using Carbon Dioxide, and Single Lung Ventilation (PHRENICS) Technique.
JACC. Clinical electrophysiology
2023; 9 (5): 692-696
Abstract
Strategies to prevent right phrenic nerve (PN) injury during catheter ablation can be difficult to employ, ineffective, and risky. A novel PN-sparing technique involving single lung ventilation followed by "intentional pneumothorax" was prospectively evaluated in patients with multidrug refractory periphrenic atrial tachycardia (AT). This hybrid technique, termed PHRENICS (Phrenic Relocation by Endoscopy & Intentional Pneumothorax using Carbon Dioxide & Single Lung Ventilation), resulted in effective PN relocation away from the target site in all cases, allowing successful catheter ablation of AT without procedural complication or arrhythmia recurrence. The PHRENICS hybrid ablation technique can effectively mobilize the PN, avoiding unnecessary invasion of the pericardium, and can expand the safety of catheter ablation for periphrenic AT.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jacep.2023.01.015
View details for PubMedID 37225311
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Warfarin Time in Therapeutic INR Range and Direct Oral Anticoagulant Adherence for Venous Thromboembolism Across the Spectrum of Weight and Body Mass Index: Findings from Veterans Health Administration.
Clinical and applied thrombosis/hemostasis : official journal of the International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis
2023; 29: 10760296231152474
Abstract
The evidence of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) usage for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients at extremes of body weight or mass index is limited. In such situations, warfarin may be more frequently used. We investigated warfarin time in the therapeutic international normalized ratio range (TTR) and DOAC adherence based on the calculated proportion of days covered (PDC) by pill coverage from a DOAC prescription in patients with VTE across all body sizes. Using data from the Veterans Health Administration (VA), we identified first-time patients with VTE between 2013 and 2018 treated with warfarin or DOACs. We analyzed 28,245 patients with warfarin TTR (N=10,167) or DOAC PDC(N=18,078). For warfarin-treated patients after index VTE, mean TTR was lower over shorter treatment durations (TTR 30 vs TTR 180 [mean±SD]: 43.8%±33.5% vs 58.8%±23.5%). Mean TTR over 180 days after VTE was lowest for patients <60 kg (TTR 180 [mean±SD]: <60kg: 49.3%±24.2% vs ≥60 to <100 kg: 57.8%±23.4%; P<.0001). For DOAC-treated patients over 180 days after index VTE, mean PDC was lowest for patients <60 kg (PDC 180 [mean±SD]:<60kg: 76.9%±33.2% vs≥60 to <100 kg: 83.6%±27.7%; P<.0001).Most DOAC-treated patients attained sufficient adherence across the body size spectrum while warfarin-treated patients <60kg were at risk for low TTR.
View details for DOI 10.1177/10760296231152474
View details for PubMedID 36694957
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Racial, ethnic, and sex disparities in atrial fibrillation management: rate and rhythm control.
Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects around 6 million Americans. AF management involves pharmacologic therapy and/or interventional procedures to control rate and rhythm, as well as anticoagulation for stroke prevention. Different populations may respond differently to distinct management strategies. This review will describe disparities in rate and rhythm control and their impact on outcomes among women and historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups.METHODS: This is a narrative review exploring the topic of sex and racial and/or ethnic disparities in rate and rhythm management of AF. We describe basic terminology, summarize AF epidemiology, discuss diversity in clinical research, and review landmark clinical trials.RESULTS: Despite having higher rates of traditional AF risk factors, Black and Hispanic adults have lower risk of AF than non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients, although those with AF experience more severe symptoms and report lower quality-of-life scores than NHW patients with AF. NHW patients receive antiarrhythmic drugs, cardioversions, and invasive therapies more frequently than Black and Hispanic patients. Women have lower rates of AF than men, but experience more severe symptoms, heart failure, stroke, and death after AF diagnosis. Women and people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are inadequately represented in AF trials; prevalence findings may be a result of underdetection.CONCLUSION: Race, ethnicity, and gender are social determinants of health that may impact the prevalence, evolution, and management of AF. This impact reflects differences in biology as well as disparities in treatment and representation in clinical trials.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10840-022-01383-x
View details for PubMedID 36224481
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Trends in Utilization of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Stroke Patients With Cardiac Rhythm Devices.
The Neurohospitalist
2022; 12 (4): 624-631
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is safe for most patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). However, patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (AIS/TIA) who have CIEDs may undergo MRI less frequently than patients without devices. We assessed contemporary use of MRI for patients with AIS/TIA and the effect of a recent coverage revision by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on MRI utilization.Using Optum® claims data from January 2012 to June 2019, we performed an interrupted time series analysis of MRI utilization during AIS/TIA hospitalizations with the April 2018 CMS coverage revision serving as the intervention. For patients treated after the coverage revision, we used multivariable logistic regression to determine the association between lack of CIED and MRI utilization for AIS/TIA.We identified 417,899 patient hospitalizations for AIS/TIA, of which 30,425 (7%) had a CIED present (CIED vs non-CIED patients: age 77.6 ± 9.8 vs 72.7 ± 12.3 years; 45.5% vs 54.3% female). From 2012 to 2019, annual MRI utilization increased from 3% to 20% for CIED patients and 58% to 66% for non-CIED patients. The CMS coverage revision was associated with a 4.2% absolute additional increase in MRI utilization for CIED patients. Non-CIED patients treated after the CMS coverage revision were substantially more likely than CIED patients to undergo MRI (adjusted OR 6.7, 95% CI: 6.3-7.1, P<.001).MRI utilization has increased for stroke patients with CIEDs but remains far lower than in similar patients without devices.
View details for DOI 10.1177/19418744221115004
View details for PubMedID 36147760
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9485690
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Atrial fibrillation bleeding risk and prediction while treated with direct oral anticoagulants in warfarin-naive or warfarin-experienced patients.
Clinical cardiology
2022
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), bleeding risk scores provide only modest discrimination for major or intracranial bleeding. However, warfarin experience may impact HAS-BLED (Hypertension, Abnormal renal/liver function, Stroke, Bleeding history or predisposition, Labile international normalized ratio, Elderly (>65 years), Drugs/alcohol concomitantly) score performance in patients evaluated for DOACs, as HAS-BLED was derived and validated in warfarin cohorts.METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients prescribed DOAC for AF in the Veterans Health Administration between 2010 and 2017. We determined modified HAS-BLED score discrimination and calibration for bleeding, for patients treated with DOAC, stratified by prior warfarin exposure. We also determined the association betweenDOAC-warfarin-naive status to bleeding (nonintracranial and intracranial) with DOAC-warfarin-experienced patients as reference.RESULTS: The DOAC analysis cohort included 100,492 patients with AF (age [mean±SD]: 72.9±9.6 years; 1.7% female; 90.1% White), of which 26,760 patients (26.6%) and 73,732 patients (73.4%) were warfarin experienced or naive, respectively. HAS-BLED discrimination for bleeds was modest for patients treated with DOAC, regardless of prior warfarin experience (concordancestatistics: 0.53-0.59). For DOAC-warfarin-naive patients, as compared to DOAC-warfarin-experienced patients, adjusted risk of intracranial bleeding was lower, while risk of nonintracranial bleeding was higher (intracranial bleeding propensity adjusted with inverse probability of treatment weights [IPTWs]: hazard ratio [HR]: 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78-0.95, p=.0040) (nonintracranial bleeding propensity adjusted with IPTW: HR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.11-1.19, p<.0001).CONCLUSION: Patients' modified HAS-BLED score at the time of DOAC initiation, regardless of prior warfarin use, provided only modest discrimination for intracranial and nonintracranial bleeds. These data argue against maintaining DOAC eligible patients on warfarin therapy regardless of modified HAS-BLED score.
View details for DOI 10.1002/clc.23887
View details for PubMedID 35946047
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Trends in Utilization of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Stroke Patients With Cardiac Rhythm Devices
NEUROHOSPITALIST
2022
View details for DOI 10.1177/19418744221115004
View details for Web of Science ID 000825031900001
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THE 2017 ACC/AHA HYPERTENSION GUIDELINES AND CHA2DS2-VASC UP-SCORING IN PATIENTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: INSIGHTS FROM THE NCDR (R) PINNACLE (R) REGISTRY
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2022: 12
View details for Web of Science ID 000781026600013
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Achievement and Quality Measure Attainment in Patients Hospitalized with Atrial Fibrillation: Results from the Get With The Guidelines - Atrial Fibrillation (GWTG-AFIB) Registry.
American heart journal
1800
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Get With The Guidelines - Atrial Fibrillation (GWTG-AFIB) Registry uses achievement and quality measures to improve the care of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to evaluate overall and site-level variation in attainment of these measures among sites participating in the GWTG-AFIB Registry.METHODS: From the GWTG-AFIB registry, we included patients with AF admitted between 1/3/2013 and 6/30/2019. We described patient-level attainment and variation in attainment across sites of 6 achievement measures with 1) defect-free scores (percent of patients with all eligible measures attained), and 2) composite opportunity scores (percent of all eligible patient measures attained). We also described attainment of 11 quality measures at the patient-level.RESULTS: Among 80,951 patients hospitalized for AF (age 70±13 years, 47.0% female; CHA2DS2-VASc 3.6±1.8) at 132 sites. Site-level defect-free scores ranged from 4.7% to 85.8% (25th, 50th, 75th percentile: 32.7%, 52.1%, 64.4%). Composite opportunity scores ranged from 39.4% to 97.5% (25th, 50th, 75th: 68.1%, 80.3%, 87.1%). Attainment was notably low for the following quality measures: 1) aldosterone antagonist prescription when ejection fraction ≤35% (29% of those eligible); and 2) avoidance of antiplatelet therapy with OAC in patients without coronary/peripheral artery disease (81% of those eligible).CONCLUSION: Despite high overall attainment of care measures across GWTG-AFIB registry sites, large site variation was present with meaningful opportunities to improve AF care beyond OAC prescription, including but not limited to prescription of aldosterone antagonists in those with AF and systolic dysfunction and avoidance of non-indicated adjunctive antiplatelet therapy.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2021.12.002
View details for PubMedID 34932998
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Idiopathic Ventricular Outflow Tract Arrhythmias: Avoid the Use of a Sledgehammer to Crack a Nut.
Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology
2021
Abstract
Ventricular outflow is a common site for idiopathic PVCs and repetitive ventricular arrhythmias. Sites of origin of these arrhythmias may vary from the sites of earliest activation mapped. Better definition of the site of origin can help avoid unnecessary large volume ablation to suppress these arrhythmia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
View details for DOI 10.1111/jce.15298
View details for PubMedID 34796995
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Anticoagulation Treatment and Outcomes of Venous Thromboembolism by Weight and Body Mass Index: Insights From the Veterans Health Administration.
Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes
2021: CIRCOUTCOMES121008005
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Consensus statements have recommended against the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in venous thromboembolism (VTE) for patients ≥120 kg and ≥40 kg/m2. We sought to determine use and outcomes of DOACs for VTE across weight and body mass index (BMI).METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with first-time VTE 2013 to 2018 that were treated with DOAC or warfarin in the Veterans Health Administration. The Veterans Health Administration has implemented system-wide guidance for patient selection and shared decision-making for use of DOACs in VTE at extremes of weight. We stratified patients by weight and BMI and assessed (1) association of weight and BMI category to outcomes in those prescribed DOAC; and (2) association of DOAC, as compared to warfarin, to outcomes by weight and BMI categories. Outcomes of interest included major bleeding, clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding, and recurrent VTE.RESULTS: The analysis cohort included 51 871 patients prescribed DOAC or warfarin within 30 days of index VTE diagnosis (age 64.5±13.1 years; 6.0% female; median weight 93.4 kg [25th-75th: 80.5-108.6 kg]). For patients ≥120 kg (N=6934 patients), 38.4% were treated with DOAC, as compared to 45.4% of those ≥60 to <100 kg (N=30 645; P<0.0001). DOAC prescription was not associated with major bleeds, clinically relevant nonmajor bleeds, or recurrent VTE for those in higher weight and BMI categories as compared to those in average weight and BMI categories. DOAC prescription, as compared to warfarin, was not associated with increased recurrent VTE in any weight or BMI category.CONCLUSIONS: Patients ≥120 kg and ≥40 kg/m2 with VTE are frequently prescribed DOAC by the Veterans Health Administration, without an increase in bleeding or recurrent VTE. These findings suggest DOACs can be safe and effective in this population and may argue for broader adoption of pharmacy policies that promote careful patient selection and shared decision making.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.121.008005
View details for PubMedID 34724801
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Trends in Utilization of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Stroke Patients With Cardiac Rhythm Devices.
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. 2021
View details for DOI 10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.P229
View details for Web of Science ID 000670883500347
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Arrhythmias Other Than Atrial Fibrillation in Those With an Irregular Pulse Detected With a Smartwatch: Findings From the Apple Heart Study.
Circulation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology
2021: CIRCEP121010063
Abstract
The Apple watch irregular pulse detection algorithm was found to have a positive predictive value of 0.84 for identification of atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to describe the prevalence of arrhythmias other than AF in those with an irregular pulse detected on a smartwatch.The Apple Heart Study investigated a smartwatch-based irregular pulse notification algorithm to identify AF. For this secondary analysis, we analyzed participants who received an ambulatory ECG patch after index irregular pulse notification. We excluded participants with AF identified on ECG patch and described the prevalence of other arrhythmias on the remaining participant ECG patches. We also reported the proportion of participants self-reporting subsequent AF diagnosis.Among 419 297 participants enrolled in the Apple Heart Study, 450 participant ECG patches were analyzed, with no AF on 297 ECG patches (66%). Non-AF arrhythmias (excluding supraventricular tachycardias <30 beats and pauses <3 seconds) were detected in 119 participants (40.1%) with ECG patches without AF. The most common arrhythmias were frequent PACs (burden ≥1% to <5%, 15.8%; ≥5% to <15%, 8.8%), atrial tachycardia (≥30 beats, 5.4%), frequent PVCs (burden ≥1% to <5%, 6.1%; ≥5% to <15%, 2.7%), and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (4-7 beats, 6.4%; ≥8 beats, 3.7%). Of 249 participants with no AF detected on ECG patch and patient-reported data available, 76 participants (30.5%) reported subsequent AF diagnosis.In participants with an irregular pulse notification on the Apple Watch and no AF observed on ECG patch, atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, mostly PACs and PVCs, were detected in 40% of participants. Defining optimal care for patients with detection of incidental arrhythmias other than AF is important as AF detection is further investigated, implemented, and refined.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCEP.121.010063
View details for PubMedID 34565178
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Direct Oral Anticoagulant Adherence of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Transitioned from Warfarin.
Journal of the American Heart Association
2021: e020904
Abstract
Background Reduced time in international normalized ratio therapeutic range (TTR) limits warfarin safety and effectiveness. In patients switched from warfarin to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), patient factors associated with low TTR could also increase risk of DOAC nonadherence. We investigated the relationship between warfarin TTR and DOAC adherence in warfarin-treated patients with atrial fibrillation switched to DOAC. Methods and Results Using data from the Veterans Health Administration, we identified patients with atrial fibrillation switched from warfarin to DOAC (switchers) or treated with warfarin alone (non-switchers). Logistic regression was used to evaluate association between warfarin TTR and DOAC adherence. We analyzed 128 605 patients (age, 71±9; 1.6% women; CHA2DS2-VASc 3.5±1.6); 32 377 switchers and 96 228 non-switchers. In 8016 switchers with international normalized ratio data to calculate 180-day TTR before switch, TTR was low (median 0.45; IQR, 0.26-0.64). Patients with TTR <0.5 were more likely to be switched to DOAC (odds ratio [OR],1.68 [95% CI,1.62-1.74], P<0.0001), as were those with TTR <0.6 or TTR <0.7. Proportion of days covered ≥0.8 was achieved by 76% of switchers at 365 days. In low-TTR individuals, proportion of days covered ≥0.8 was achieved by 70%, 72%, and 73% of switchers with TTR <0.5, 0.6, and 0.7, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, TTR <0.5 decreased odds of achieving 365-day proportion of days covered ≥0.8 (OR, 0.49; 0.43-0.57, P<0.0001), with similar relationships for TTR <0.6 and TTR <0.7. In non-switchers with TTR <0.5, long-term TTR remained low. Conclusions In patients with atrial fibrillation switched from warfarin to DOAC, most achieved adequate DOAC adherence despite low pre-switch TTRs. However, TTR trajectories remained low in non-switchers. Patients with low warfarin TTR more consistently achieved treatment targets after switching to DOACs, although adherence-oriented interventions may be beneficial.
View details for DOI 10.1161/JAHA.121.020904
View details for PubMedID 34779243
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Association of kidney function and atrial fibrillation progression to clinical outcomes in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices.
American heart journal
2021
Abstract
Kidney function may promote progression of AF.We evaluated the association of kidney function to AF progression and resultant clinical outcomes in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED).We performed a retrospective cohort study using national clinical data from the Veterans Health Administration linked to CIED data from the Carelink® remote monitoring data warehouse (Medtronic Inc, Mounds View, MN). All devices had atrial leads and at least 75% of remote monitoring transmission coverage. Patients were included at the date of the first AF episode lasting ≥6 minutes, and followed until the occurrence of persistent AF in the first year, defined as ≥7 consecutive days with continuous AF. We used Cox regression analyses with persistent AF as a time-varying covariate to examine the association to stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and death.Of, 10,323 eligible patients, 1,771 had a first CIED-detected AF (mean age 69 ± 10 years, 1.2% female). In the first year 355 (20%) developed persistent AF. Kidney function was not associated with persistent AF after multivariable adjustment including CHA2DS2-VASc variables and prior medications. Only higher age increased the risk (HR: 1.28 per 10 years; 1.07-1.52). Persistent AF was associated to higher risk of heart failure (HR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.88-2.74) and death (HR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.30-1.96), but not stroke (HR: 1.28; 95% CI: 0.62-2.62) or myocardial infarction (HR: 1.43; 95% CI: 0.91-2.25).Kidney function was not associated to AF progression, whereas higher age was. Preventing AF progression could reduce the risk of heart failure and death.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2021.06.002
View details for PubMedID 34118202
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Sex Differences in Ablation Strategy, Lesion Sets, and Complications of Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: An Analysis From the GWTG-AFIB Registry.
Circulation. Arrhythmia and electrophysiology
2021: CIRCEP121009790
Abstract
When presenting for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, women, compared with men, tend to have more nonpulmonary vein triggers and advanced atrial disease. Whether this informs differences in AF ablation strategy is not well described. We aimed to characterize ablation strategy and complications by sex, using the Get With The Guidelines-AF registry.From the Get With The Guidelines-AF registry ablation feature, we included patients who underwent initial AF ablation procedure between January 7, 2016, and December 27, 2019. Patients were stratified based on AF type (paroxysmal versus nonparoxysmal) and sex. We compared patient demographics, ablation strategy, and complications by sex.Among 5356 patients from 31 sites who underwent AF ablation, 1969 were women (36.8%). Women, compared with men, were older (66.8±9.6 versus 63.4±10.6, P<0.0001) and were more likely to have paroxysmal AF (59.4% versus 49.5%, P<0.0001). In women with nonparoxysmal AF, left atrial linear ablation was more frequent (roof line: 53.9% versus 45.3%, P=0.0002; inferior mitral isthmus line: 10.2% versus 7.0%, P=0.01; floor line: 46.1% versus 40.6%, P=0.02) than in men. In multivariable analysis, the association between patient sex and complications from ablation was not statistically significant.In this US wide AF ablation quality improvement registry, women with nonparoxysmal AF were more likely to receive adjunctive lesion sets compared with men. These findings suggest that patient sex may inform ablation strategy in ways that may not be strongly supported by evidence and emphasize the need to clarify optimal ablation strategies by sex.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCEP.121.009790
View details for PubMedID 34719235
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Arrhythmia Patterns in Patients on Ibrutinib.
Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine
1800; 8: 792310
Abstract
Introduction: Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used primarily in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, has been associated with increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), with limited data on its association with other tachyarrhythmias. There are limited reports that comprehensively analyze atrial and ventricular arrhythmia (VA) burden in patients on ibrutinib. We hypothesized that long-term event monitors could reveal a high burden of atrial and VAs in patients on ibrutinib. Methods: A retrospective data analysis at a single center using electronic medical records database search tools and individual chart review was conducted to identify consecutive patients who had event monitors while on ibrutinib therapy. Results: Seventy-two patients were included in the analysis with a mean age of 76.9 ± 9.9 years and 13 patients (18%) had a diagnosis of AF prior to the ibrutinib therapy. During ibrutinib therapy, most common arrhythmias documented were non-AF supraventricular tachycardia (n = 32, 44.4%), AF (n = 32, 44%), and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (n = 31, 43%). Thirteen (18%) patients had >1% premature atrial contraction burden; 16 (22.2%) patients had >1% premature ventricular contraction burden. In 25% of the patients, ibrutinib was held because of arrhythmias. Overall 8.3% of patients were started on antiarrhythmic drugs during ibrutinib therapy to manage these arrhythmias. Conclusions: In this large dataset of ambulatory cardiac monitors on patients treated with ibrutinib, we report a high prevalence of atrial and VAs, with a high incidence of treatment interruption secondary to arrhythmias and related symptoms. Further research is warranted to optimize strategies to diagnose, monitor, and manage ibrutinib-related arrhythmias.
View details for DOI 10.3389/fcvm.2021.792310
View details for PubMedID 35047578
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Appropriateness of Direct Oral Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Veterans Health Administration
JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE
2020; 33 (5): 647–53
View details for DOI 10.1177/0897190019828270
View details for Web of Science ID 000584468800012
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2020 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on Management of Bleeding in Patients on Oral Anticoagulants A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
2020; 76 (5): 594–622
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.04.053
View details for Web of Science ID 000557886000001
View details for PubMedID 32680646
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Incidence and outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation and major bleeding complications: from the TREAT-AF study.
Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
2020
Abstract
Optimal stroke prevention strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who experience a major bleed are poorly defined. We sought to estimate the effectiveness and safety of oral anticoagulation (OAC) represcription after an OAC contraindication.TREAT-AF is a retrospective cohort study of patients with newly diagnosed AF (2004-2012), treated in the Veterans Health Administration. From this cohort, we identified patients with a contraindication to OAC after AF diagnoses, defined as incident intracranial bleeding, non-intracranial bleeding requiring hospitalization, or unrepaired cerebral aneurysm or aortic dissection. We used multivariate Cox proportional hazards to estimate the association of OAC prescription in the 90 days following OAC contraindication to ischemic stroke and rebleeding.Among 167,190 patients with newly diagnosed AF (70 ± 11 years, 1.7% female, CHA2DS2-VASc 2.7 ± 1.7), 19,285 patients (11.5%) had an incident bleed (n = 18,342) or an unrepaired cerebral aneurysm or aortic dissection (n = 943). For OAC-contraindicated patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2 (N = 16,194), OAC was represcribed in 4075 patients (25%) and was associated with a higher risk of non-intracranial bleeding (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.37-1.61; p < 0.0001) but no difference in intracranial bleeding. There was a trend toward decreased stroke risk (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.71-1.02; p 0.09).Development of contraindication to OAC after diagnosis of AF is common (11.5%), with most events requiring hospitalization. OAC reinitiation was associated with non-intracranial bleeding risk, with a trend toward reduced stroke risk. These data suggest that stroke prevention approaches after major bleeding events could be beneficial if bleeding risk can be successfully mitigated.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s10840-020-00873-0
View details for PubMedID 32986177
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Characteristics and Strength of Evidence of COVID-19 Studies Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
JAMA internal medicine
2020
View details for DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2904
View details for PubMedID 32730617
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Practice Variation in Anticoagulation Prescription and Outcomes after Device-Detected Atrial Fibrillation: Insights from the Veterans Health Administration.
Circulation
2019
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Device-detected atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of stroke. However, there are no clearly-defined thresholds of AF burden for which to initiate oral anticoagulation (OAC). We sought to describe OAC prescription practice variation in response to new device-detected AF and the association to outcomes.METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the Veterans Health Administration linked to remote monitoring data that included day-level AF burden. We included patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) and remote monitoring from 2011-2014, CHA2DS2-VASc ≥2, and no prior stroke or OAC receipt in the preceding 2 years. We determined the proportion of patients prescribed OAC within 90-days following new device-detected AF across a range of AF thresholds (≥6 minutes to >24 hours), and examined site variation in OAC prescription. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regressions to determine the association of OAC prescription with stroke by device-detected AF burden.RESULTS: Among 10,212 patients with CIEDs, 4,570 patients (45%), 3,969 patients (39%), 3,263 patients (32%), and 2,469 patients (24%) had device-detected AF >6 minutes, >1 hour, >6 hours, and >24 hours, respectively. For device-detected AF >1 hour, 1,712 patients met inclusion criteria (72±10 years; 1.5% female; CHA2DS2-VASc 4.0±1.4; HAS-BLED 2.6±1.1). The proportion receiving OAC varied based on device-detected AF burden (≥6 minutes: 272/2,101 (13%); >1 hour: 273/1,712 (16%); >6 hours: 263/1,279 (21%); >24 hours: 224/818 (27%)). Across 52 sites (N=1,329 patients), there was substantial site-level variation in OAC prescription after device-detected AF >1 hour (median: 16%; range: 3%-67%; median odds ratio: 1.56 [95% credible interval 1.49-1.71]). In adjusted models, OAC prescription after device-detected AF >24 hours was associated with reduced stroke risk (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.10-0.81, p=0.02), although the propensity-adjusted model was significant when AF lasted at least 6 minutes.CONCLUSIONS: Among Veterans with CIEDs, device-detected AF is common. There is large practice variation in 90-day OAC initiation after new device-detected AF with low rates of treatment overall, even for episodes >24 hours. The strongest association of OAC with reduction in stroke was observed after device-detected AF >24 hours. Randomized trials are needed to confirm these observational findings.
View details for PubMedID 30880434
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Appropriateness of Direct Oral Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Veterans Health Administration.
Journal of pharmacy practice
2019: 897190019828270
Abstract
BACKGROUND:: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have strict dosing guidelines, but recent studies indicate that inappropriate dosing is common, particularly in chronic kidney disease (CKD), for which it has been reported to be as high as 43%. Since 2011, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has implemented anticoagulation management programs for DOACs, generally led by pharmacists, which has previously been shown to improve medication adherence.OBJECTIVE:: We investigated the prevalence of overdosing and underdosing of DOACs in the VA.METHODS:: Using data from the TREAT-AF cohort study (The Retrospective Evaluation and Assessment of Therapies in AF), we identified VA patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) and receipt of a DOAC between 2003 and 2015. We classified dosing as correct, overdosed, or underdosed based on the Food and Drug Administration-approved dosing criteria.RESULTS:: Of 230 762 patients, 5060 received dabigatran (77.3%) or rivaroxaban (22.7%) within 90 days of AF diagnosis (age 69 [10[ years; CHA2DS2-VASc 1.6 [1.4]), of which 1312 (25.9%) had CKD based on estimated glomerular filtration rate <60. Overall, 93.6% of patients, 83.2% with CKD, received appropriate DOAC dosing. Incorrect dosing increased with worsening renal function.CONCLUSION:: Compared to recent studies of commercial payers and health-care systems, incorrect dosing of DOACs is less common across the VA. Pharmacist-led DOAC management or similar anticoagulation management interventions may reduce the risk of incorrect dosing across health-care systems.
View details for PubMedID 30791808
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Efficacy of Ablation Lesion Sets in Addition to Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: Findings From the SMASH - AF Meta-Analysis Study Cohort.
Journal of the American Heart Association
2019; 8 (1): e009976
Abstract
Background The objective was to explore the efficacy of ablation lesion sets in addition to pulmonary vein isolation ( PVI ) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The optimal strategy for catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is debated. Methods and Results The SMASH-AF (Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Ablation Strategy Heterogeneity in Atrial Fibrillation) study cohort includes trials and observational studies identified in PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases from January 1 1990, to August 1, 2016. We included studies reporting single procedure paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation success rates. Exclusion criteria included insufficient reporting of outcomes, ablation strategies that were not prespecified and uniform, and a sample size of fewer than 40 patients. We analyzed lesion sets performed in addition to PVI ( PVI plus) using multivariable random-effects meta-regression to control for patient, study, and procedure characteristics. The analysis included 145 total studies with 23263 patients ( PVI- only cohort: 115 studies, 148 treatment arms, 16500 patients; PVI plus cohort: 39 studies; 46 treatment arms, 6763 patients). PVI plus studies, as compared with PVI -only studies, included younger patients (56.7years versus 58.8years, P=0.001), fewer women (27.2% versus 32.0% women, P=0.002), and were more methodologically rigorous with longer follow-up (29.5 versus 17.1months, P 0.004) and more randomization (19.4% versus 11.8%, P<0.001). In multivariable meta-regression, PVI plus studies were associated with improved success (7.6% absolute improvement [95% CI, 2.6-12.5%]; P<0.01, I2=88%), specifically superior vena cava isolation (4 studies, 4 treatment arms, 1392 patients; 15.1% absolute improvement [95%CI, 2.3-27.9%]; P 0.02, I2=87%). However, residual heterogeneity was large. Conclusions Across the paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation literature, PVI plus ablation strategies were associated with incremental improvements in success rate. However, large residual heterogeneity complicates evidence synthesis.
View details for PubMedID 30587059
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Urinary tract infection after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.
Pacing and clinical electrophysiology : PACE
2019
Abstract
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common after surgical procedures and a quality improvement target. For non-surgical procedures such as catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), UTI risk has not been characterized. We sought to determine incidence and risk factors of UTI after AF ablation and risk variation across sites.Using Marketscan commercial claims databases, we performed a retrospective cohort study of patients that underwent AF ablation from 2007 to 2011. The primary outcome was UTI diagnosis within 30 days after ablation. We performed multivariate analyses to determine risk factors for UTI and risk of sepsis within 30 days after ablation with UTI as the predictor variable. Median odds ratio was used to quantify UTI site variation.Among 21,091 patients (age 59.2±10.9; 29.1% female; CHA2 DS2 -VASc 2.0±1.6), 622 (2.9%) were diagnosed with UTI within 30 days. In multivariate analyses, UTI was independently associated with age, female sex, prior UTI, and general anesthesia (all p < 0.01). UTI diagnosis was associated with a substantial increased risk of sepsis within 30 days (5.0% vs. 0.3%; OR 17.5; 95% CI 10.8 - 28.2; p < 0.0001). Among 416 sites, 211 had at least one UTI. Among these 211 sites, the incidence of post-ablation UTI ranged from 0.7%-26.7% (median: 5.4%; IQR: 3.0%-7.1%; 95th percentile: 14.3%; median odds ratio: 1.45; 95% CI 1.41-1.50).UTI after AF ablation is not uncommon and varies substantially across sites. Consideration of UTI as a quality measure and interventions targeted at high-risk patients or sites warrant consideration. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
View details for DOI 10.1111/pace.13738
View details for PubMedID 31168821
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Intentional pneumothorax avoids collateral damage: Dynamic phrenic nerve mobilization through intrathoracic insufflation of carbon dioxide.
HeartRhythm case reports
2019; 5 (9): 480–84
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.hrcr.2019.07.007
View details for PubMedID 31934546
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6951311
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Site Variation and Outcomes for Antithrombotic Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.
Circulation. Cardiovascular interventions
2019; 12 (8): e007604
Abstract
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) require multiple antithrombotic therapies. The optimal strategy is debated suggesting increased treatment variation. This study sought to characterize site-level variation in antithrombotic therapies in AF patients after PCI and determine the association with outcomes.Using the retrospective TREAT-AF study (The Retrospective Evaluation and Assessment of Therapies in AF) from the Veterans Health Administration, patients with newly diagnosed, nonvalvular AF between 2004 and 2015 followed by a PCI with a P2Y12-antagonist prescription were identified. Patients were grouped according to the therapy dispensed 7 days before until 30 days after the PCI: oral anticoagulation plus platelet inhibition (OAC+PI) or platelet inhibition only. A combined outcome of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or major bleeding was assessed 1 year after PCI and Cox regression was performed to estimate hazard ratios.Of 230 762 patients with newly diagnosed AF, 4042 (1.8%) underwent PCI and received a P2Y12-antagonist during the observation period (age, 67±9 years; CHA2DS2-VASc, 2.7±1.7; HAS-BLED, 2.6±1.2). Among these, 47% were prescribed OAC+PI, and 53% platelet inhibition only 7 days before until 30 days after the PCI. Across 63 sites, the use of OAC+PI ranged from 19% to 66%. Prescription of OAC+PI was independently associated with a reduction in the combined outcome of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or major bleeding compared with platelet inhibition only (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.99; P=0.033).In patients with established AF undergoing PCI, the use of OAC+PI varied substantially across sites in the 30 days post-PCI. Anticoagulation appeared to be underutilized but was associated with improved outcomes. Strategies to promote OAC+PI and minimize site variation may be useful, particularly in light of recent randomized trials.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCINTERVENTIONS.118.007604
View details for PubMedID 31416357
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Comparison of Patient-Reported Care Satisfaction, Quality of Warfarin Therapy, and Outcomes of Atrial Fibrillation: Findings From the ORBIT - AF Registry.
Journal of the American Heart Association
2019; 8 (9): e011205
Abstract
Background Patient satisfaction with therapy is an important metric of care quality and has been associated with greater medication persistence. We evaluated the association of patient satisfaction with warfarin therapy to other metrics of anticoagulation care quality and clinical outcomes among patients with atrial fibrillation ( AF ). Methods and Results Using data from the ORBIT - AF (Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation) registry, patients were identified with AF who were taking warfarin and had completed an Anti-Clot Treatment Scale ( ACTS ) questionnaire, a validated metric of patient-reported burden and benefit of oral anticoagulation. Multivariate regressions were used to determine association of ACTS burden and benefit scores with time in therapeutic international normalized ratio range ( TTR ; both ≥75% and ≥60%), warfarin discontinuation, and clinical outcomes (death, stroke, major bleed, and all-cause hospitalization). Among 1514 patients with AF on warfarin therapy (75±10 years; 42% women; CHA 2 DS 2- VAS c 3.9±1.7), those most burdened with warfarin therapy were younger and more likely to be women, have paroxysmal AF , and to be treated with antiarrhythmic drugs. After adjustment for covariates, ACTS burden scores were independent of TTR ( TTR ≥75%: odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI , 0.99-1.03]; TTR ≥60%: odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI , 0.98-1.05]), warfarin discontinuation (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% CI , 0.97-1.01), or clinical outcomes. ACTS benefit scores were also not associated with TTR , warfarin discontinuation, or clinical outcomes. Conclusions In a large registry of patients with AF taking warfarin, ACTS scores provided independent information beyond other traditional metrics of oral anticoagulation care quality and identified patient groups at high risk for dissatisfaction with warfarin therapy.
View details for PubMedID 31023126
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Secular trends in success rate of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: The SMASH-AF cohort.
American heart journal
2018
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Approaches, tools, and technologies for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation have evolved significantly since its inception. We sought to characterize secular trends in AF ablation success rates.METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of AF ablation from January 1, 1990, to August 1, 2016, searching PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Major exclusion criteria were insufficient outcome reporting and ablation strategies that were not prespecified and uniform. We stratified treatment arms by AF type (paroxysmal AF; nonparoxysmal AF) and analyzed single-procedure outcomes. Multivariate meta-regressions analyzed effects of study, patient, and procedure characteristics on success rate trends. Registered in PROSPERO (CRD42016036549).RESULTS: A total of 180 trials and observational studies with 28,118 patients met inclusion. For paroxysmal AF ablation studies, unadjusted success rate summary estimates ranged from 73.1% in 2003 to 77.1% in 2016, increasing by 0.9%/year (95% CI 0.4%-1.4%; P = .001; I2 = 90%). After controlling for study design and patient demographics, rate of improvement in success rate summary estimate increased (1.6%/year; 95% CI 0.9%-2.2%; P = .001; I2 = 87%). For nonparoxysmal AF ablation studies, unadjusted success rate summary estimates ranged from 70.0% in 2010 to 64.3% in 2016 (1.1%/year; 95% CI -1.3% to 3.5%; P = .37; I2 = 85%), with no improvement in multivariate analyses.CONCLUSIONS: Despite substantial research investment and health care expenditure, improvements in AF ablation success rates have been incremental. Meaningful improvements may require major paradigm or technology changes, and evaluation of clinical outcomes such as mortality and quality of life may prove to be important going forward.
View details for PubMedID 30502925
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Geographic and racial representation and reported success rates of studies of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: Findings from the SMASH-AF meta-analysis study cohort.
Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology
2018
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of geographic and racial representation and reported success rates of studies of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF).METHODS AND RESULTS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases from 1/1/1990 to 8/1/2016 for trials and observational studies reporting AF ablation outcomes. Major exclusion criteria were insufficient reporting of outcomes, non-English language articles, and ablation strategies that were not prespecified and uniform. We described geographic and racial representation and single-procedure ablation success rates by country, controlling for patient demographics and study design characteristics. The analysis cohort included 306 studies (49,227 patients) from 28 countries. Over half of the paroxysmal (PAF) and nonparoxysmal AF (NPAF) treatment arms were conducted in 5 and 3 countries, respectively. Reporting of race or ethnicity demographics and outcomes were rare (1 study, 0.3%) and nonexistent, respectively. Unadjusted success rates by country ranged from 63.5% to 83.0% for PAF studies and 52.7% to 71.6% for NPAF studies, with substantial variation in patient demographics and study design. After controlling for covariates, South Korea and the United States had higher PAF ablation success rates, with large residual heterogeneity. NPAF ablation success rates were statistically similar by country.CONCLUSIONS: Studies of AF ablation have substantial variation in patient demographics, study design, and reported outcomes by country. There is limited geographic representation of trials and observational studies of AF ablation and a paucity of race- or ethnicity-stratified results. Future AF ablation studies and registries should aim to have broad representation by race, geography, and ethnicity to ensure generalizability.
View details for PubMedID 29364570
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Patient and facility variation in costs of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.
Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology
2018
Abstract
Cost-effectiveness or value of cardiovascular therapies may be undermined by unwarranted cost variation, particularly for heterogeneous procedures such as catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). We sought to characterize cost variation of AF ablation in the U.S. health care system and the relationship between cost and outcomes.We performed a retrospective cohort study using data from the MarketScan® commercial claims and Medicare supplemental databases including patients who received an AF ablation from 2007 through 2011. We aggregated encounter cost, reflecting total payments received for the encounter, to the facility level to calculate median facility cost. We classified procedures as outpatient or inpatient and assessed for association between cost and 30-day and one-year outcomes. The analysis cohort included 9,415 AF ablations (59±11 years; 28% female; 52% outpatient) occurring at 327 facilities, with large cost variation across facilities (median: $25,100; 25th percentile: $18,900, 75th percentile: $35,600, 95th percentile: $57,800). Among outpatient procedures, there was reduced health care utilization in higher cost quintiles with reductions in rehospitalization at 30-days (Quintile 1: 16.1%, Quintile 5: 8.8%, p < 0.001) and one-year (Quintile 1: 34.8%, Quintile 5: 25.6%, p < 0.001), which remained significant in multivariate analysis.Although median costs of AF ablation are below amounts used in prior cost-effectiveness studies that demonstrated good value, large facility variation in cost suggests opportunities for cost reduction. However, for outpatient encounters, association of cost to modestly improved outcomes suggests cost containment strategies could have variable effects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
View details for PubMedID 29864193
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Association of Healthcare Plan with Atrial Fibrillation Prescription Patterns.
Clinical cardiology
2018
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is treated by many types of physician specialists, including primary care physicians (PCPs). Health plans have different policies for how patients encounter these providers, and these may affect selection of AF treatment strategy.We hypothesized that healthcare plans with PCP-gatekeeping to specialist access may be associated with different pharmacologic treatments for AF.We performed a retrospective cohort study using a commercial pharmaceutical claims database. We utilized logistic regression models to compare odds of prescription of oral anticoagulant (OAC), non-vitamin K-dependent oral anticoagulant (NOAC), rate control, and rhythm control medications used to treat AF between patients with PCP-gated healthcare plans (e.g. HMO, EPO, POS) and patients with non-PCP-gated healthcare plans (e.g. PPO, CHDP, HDHP, Comprehensive) between 2007 and 2012. We also calculated median time to receipt of therapy within 90 days of index AF diagnosis.We found similar odds of OAC prescription at 90 days following new AF diagnosis in patients with PCP-gated plans compared to those with non-PCP-gated plans (OR: OAC 1.01, p=0.84; warfarin 1.05, p=0.08). Relative odds were similar for rate control (1.17, p<0.01) and rhythm control agents (0.93, p=0.03). However, PCP-gated plan patients had slightly lower likelihood of being prescribed NOACs (0.82, p=0.001) than non-gated plan patients. Elapsed time until receipt of medication was similar between PCP-gated and non-gated groups across drug classes.Pharmaceutical claims data do not suggest that PCP-gatekeeping by healthcare plans is a structural barrier to AF therapy, although it was associated with lower use of NOACs.
View details for PubMedID 30098034
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Treating Specialty and Outcomes in Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation From the TREAT-AF Study
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
2017; 70 (1): 78–86
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in many clinical contexts and is diagnosed and treated by clinicians across many specialties. This approach has resulted in treatment variations.The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between treating specialty and AF outcomes among patients newly diagnosed with AF.Using data from the TREAT-AF (Retrospective Evaluation and Assessment of Therapies in AF) study from the Veterans Health Administration, patients with newly diagnosed, nonvalvular AF between 2004 and 2012 were identified who had at least 1 outpatient encounter with primary care or cardiology within 90 days of the AF diagnosis. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to evaluate the association between treating specialty and AF outcomes.Among 184,161 patients with newly diagnosed AF (age 70 ± 11 years; 1.7% women; CHA2DS2-VASc score 2.6 ± 1.7), 40% received cardiology care and 60% received primary care only. After adjustment for covariates, cardiology care was associated with reductions in stroke (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.86 to 0.96; p < 0.001) and death (HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.88 to 0.91; p < 0.0001) and increases in hospitalizations for AF/supraventricular tachycardia (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.35 to 1.42; p < 0.0001) and myocardial infarction (HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.05; p < 0.04). The propensity-matched cohort had similar results. In mediation analysis, oral anticoagulation prescription within 90 days of diagnosis may have mediated reductions in stroke but did not mediate reductions in survival.In patients with newly diagnosed AF, cardiology care was associated with improved outcomes, potentially mediated by early prescription of oral anticoagulation therapy. Although hypothesis-generating, these data warrant serious consideration and study of health care system interventions at the time of new AF diagnosis.
View details for PubMedID 28662810
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Amiodarone and risk of death in contemporary patients with atrial fibrillation: Findings from The Retrospective Evaluation and Assessment of Therapies in AF study.
American heart journal
2015; 170 (5): 1033-1041 e1
Abstract
There are limited data on mortality outcomes associated with use of amiodarone in atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF).We evaluated the association of amiodarone use with mortality in patients with newly diagnosed AF using complete data from the Department of Veterans Affairs national health care system. We included patients seen in an outpatient setting within 90 days of a new diagnosis for nonvalvular AF between Veterans Affairs fiscal years 2004 and 2008. Multivariate analysis and propensity-matched Cox proportional hazards regression were used to evaluate the association of amiodarone use to death.Of 122,465 patients (353,168 person-years of follow-up, age 72.1 ± 10.3 years, 98.4% males), amiodarone was prescribed in 11,655 (9.5%). Cumulative, unadjusted mortality rates were higher for amiodarone recipients than for nonrecipients (87 vs 73 per 1,000 person-years, P < .001). However, in multivariate and propensity-matched survival analyses, there was no significant difference in mortality (multivariate hazard ratio 1.01, 95% CI 0.97-1.05, P = .51, and propensity-matched hazard ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.97-1.07, P = .45). The hazard of death was not modified by age, sex, heart failure, kidney function, β-blocker use, or warfarin use, but there was evidence of effect modification among patients diagnosed with AF as an inpatient versus outpatient.In a national health care system population of newly diagnosed AF, overall use of amiodarone as an early treatment strategy was not associated with mortality.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ahj.2015.07.023
View details for PubMedID 26542514
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4800972
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The long-term prognostic value of the Q wave criteria for prior myocardial infarction recommended in the universal definition of myocardial infarction.
Journal of electrocardiology
2015; 48 (5): 798-802
Abstract
We sought to characterize the prognostic value of the third universal definition of myocardial infarction (UDMI) and ≥40msec Q wave criteria.We evaluated hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for cardiovascular (CV) death for computerized Q wave measurements from the electrocardiograms of 43,661 patients collected from 1987 to 1999 at the Palo Alto VA. There were 3929 (9.0%) CV deaths over a mean follow-up of 7.6 (±3.8) years.The risk of CV death for Q waves ≥40msec in any two contiguous leads in any lead group was equivalent to or higher than that for contiguous UDMI Q waves, with HR 2.44 (95% CI 2.15-4.11) and HR 2.42 (95% CI (2.18-3.42), respectively.The UDMI Q wave criteria do not provide an advantage over ≥40msec Q waves at predicting CV death.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jelectrocard.2015.07.004
View details for PubMedID 26233646
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Evaluating the Cost-effectiveness of Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.
Arrhythmia & electrophysiology review
2014; 3 (3): 177-183
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common cardiac conditions treated in primary care and specialty cardiology settings, and is associated with considerable morbidity, mortality and cost. Catheter ablation, typically by electrically isolating the pulmonary veins and surrounding tissue, is more effective at maintaining sinus rhythm than conventional antiarrhythmic drug therapy and is now recommended as first-line therapy. From a value standpoint, the cost-effectiveness of ablation must incorporate the upfront procedural costs and risks with the benefits of longer term improvements in quality of life (QOL) and healthcare utilisation. Here, we present a primer on cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), review the data on cost-effectiveness of AF ablation and outline key areas for further investigation.
View details for DOI 10.15420/aer.2014.3.3.177
View details for PubMedID 26835088
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Association between success rate and citation count of studies of radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: possible evidence of citation bias.
Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes
2014; 7 (5): 687-692
Abstract
The preferential citation of studies with the highest success rates could exaggerate perceived effectiveness, particularly for treatments with widely varying published success rates such as radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.We systematically identified observational studies and clinical trials of radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation between 1990 and 2012. Generalized Poisson regression was used to estimate association between study success rate and total citation count, adjusting for sample size, journal impact factor, time since publication, study design, and whether first or last author was a consensus-defined pre-eminent expert. We identified 174 articles meeting our inclusion criteria (36 289 subjects). After adjustment only for time since publication, a 10-point increase above the mean in pooled reported success rates was associated with a 17.8% increase in citation count at 5 years postpublication (95% confidence interval, 7.1-28.4%; P<0.001). After additional adjustment for impact factor, sample size, randomized trial design, and pre-eminent expert authorship, the association remained significant (18.6% increase in citation count; 95% confidence interval, 7.6-29.6%; P<0.0001). In this full model, time since publication, impact factor, and pre-eminent expert authorship were significant covariates, whereas randomized control trial design and study sample size were not.Among studies of radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, high success rate was independently associated with citation count, which may indicate citation bias. To readers of the literature, radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation could be perceived to be more effective than the data supports. These findings may have implications for a wide variety of novel cardiovascular therapies.
View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.114.000912
View details for PubMedID 25205786
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The long-term prognostic value of the ST depression criteria for ischemia recommended in the universal definition of myocardial infarction in 43,661 veterans
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY
2014; 173 (3): 494-498
Abstract
The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (UDMI) includes electrocardiographic criteria for ischemia, specifying horizontal or down-sloping ST depression ≥0.05 mV in two contiguous electrocardiogram (ECG) leads. We used the surrogate of cardiovascular (CV) death to evaluate the criteria.We collected computerized ST amplitude measurements, in different lead groupings, from the resting ECGs of 43,661 patients collected between 1987 and 1999 at the Palo Alto VA. There were 3929 (9.0%) cardiac deaths over a mean follow-up of 7.6 (SD 3.8) years.We found that horizontal or down-sloping ST depressions in contiguous leads, depending upon the lead groupings, had sensitivities ranging from 1% to 5%, specificities exceeding 99%, and relative risks for CV death ranging from 3.1 to 7.0 (p<0.001 for each individual relative risk) while horizontal or down-sloping ST depressions in a single lead had comparable values. We found that up-sloping ST depressions had greater sensitivities than horizontal or down-sloping ST depressions. Additionally, we found that ST depressions isolated to the inferior or anterior leads, without concomitant lateral depressions, were poor predictors of CV death.These findings reinforce and further characterize the value of ST depressions for predicting CV death. Furthermore, if these findings can be reproduced in the acute setting, they would undermine the requirement for contiguous lead depressions with slope assessment as well as prioritize ST depression in V4, V5, and V6 when assessing for myocardial ischemia.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.03.091
View details for PubMedID 24704413
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Comparison of a Safety Strategy Using Transradial Access and Dual-Axis Rotational Coronary Angiography with Transfemoral Access and Standard Coronary Angiography
JOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY
2013; 26 (5): 524-529
Abstract
We sought to investigate the radiation exposure and contrast utilization associated with using a strategy of transradial access and rotational angiography (radial-DARCA) compared to the traditional approach of transfemoral access and standard angiography (femoral-SA).There is an increased focus on optimizing patient safety during cardiac catheterization procedures. Professional guidelines have highlighted physician responsibility to minimize radiation doses and contrast volume. Dual axis rotational coronary angiography (DARCA) is the most recently investigated type of rotational angiography. This new technique permits complete visualization of the left or right coronary tree with a single injection, and is felt to reduce contrast and radiation exposure.A total of 56 consecutive patients who underwent radial-DARCA were identified. From the same time period, an age- and gender-matched group of 61 patients who had femoral-SA were selected for comparison. Total volume of contrast agent used, fluoroscopy time, and 2 measures of radiation dose (dose area product and air kerma) were recorded for each group.Mean contrast agent use and patient radiation exposure of the radial-DARCA group were significantly less than that of the femoral-SA group. There was no significant difference in fluoroscopy time between the 2 groups.Physicians can successfully employ an innovative safety strategy of transradial access combined with DARCA that is feasible and is associated with lower radiation doses and contrast volume than femoral artery access and traditional coronary angiography approach.
View details for DOI 10.1111/joic.12054
View details for Web of Science ID 000325478600012
View details for PubMedID 23952684