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- Lopes, Renato D., et al.
(author)
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Digoxin and Mortality in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
- 2018
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In: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 0735-1097 .- 1558-3597. ; 71:10, s. 1063-1074
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Digoxin is widely used in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVES The goal of this paper was to explore whether digoxin use was independently associated with increased mortality in patients with AF and if the association was modified by heart failure and/or serum digoxin concentration.METHODS: The association between digoxin use and mortality was assessed in 17,897 patients by using a propensity score-adjusted analysis and in new digoxin users during the trial versus propensity score-matched control participants. The authors investigated the independent association between serum digoxin concentration and mortality after multivariable adjustment.RESULTS: At baseline, 5,824 (32.5%) patients were receiving digoxin. Baseline digoxin use was not associated with an increased risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.96 to 1.23; p = 0.19). However, patients with a serum digoxin concentration $ 1.2 ng/ml had a 56% increased hazard of mortality (adjusted HR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.20 to 2.04) compared with those not on digoxin. When analyzed as a continuous variable, serum digoxin concentration was associated with a 19% higher adjusted hazard of death for each 0.5-ng/ml increase (p = 0.0010); these results were similar for patients with and without heart failure. Compared with propensity score-matched control participants, the risk of death (adjusted HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.37 to 2.31) and sudden death (adjusted HR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.11 to 4.12) was significantly higher in new digoxin users.CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AF taking digoxin, the risk of death was independently related to serum digoxin concentration and was highest in patients with concentrations $ 1.2 ng/ml. Initiating digoxin was independently associated with higher mortality in patients with AF, regardless of heart failure.
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| 2. |
- Sharma, Abhinav, et al.
(author)
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Use of Biomarkers to Predict Specific Causes of Death in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation : Insights From the ARISTOTLE Trial
- 2018
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In: Circulation. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 0009-7322 .- 1524-4539. ; 138:16, s. 1666-1676
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of death. High-sensitivity troponin T, growth differentiation factor-15, NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), and interleukin-6 levels are predictive of cardiovascular events and total cardiovascular death in anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation. The prognostic utility of these biomarkers for cause-specific death is unknown. Methods: The ARISTOTLE trial (Apixaban for the Prevention of Stroke in Subjects With Atrial Fibrillation) randomized 18201 patients with atrial fibrillation to apixaban or warfarin. Biomarkers were measured at randomization in 14798 patients (1.9 years median follow-up). Cox models were used to identify clinical variables and biomarkers independently associated with each specific cause of death. Results: In total, 1272 patients died: 652 (51%) cardiovascular, 32 (3%) bleeding, and 588 (46%) noncardiovascular/nonbleeding deaths. Among cardiovascular deaths, 255 (39%) were sudden cardiac deaths, 168 (26%) heart failure deaths, and 106 (16%) stroke/systemic embolism deaths. Biomarkers were the strongest predictors of cause-specific death: a doubling of troponin T was most strongly associated with sudden death (hazard ratio [HR], 1.48; P<0.001), NT-proBNP with heart failure death (HR, 1.62; P<0.001), and growth differentiation factor-15 with bleeding death (HR, 1.72; P=0.028). Prior stroke/systemic embolism (HR, 2.58; P>0.001) followed by troponin T (HR, 1.45; P<0.0029) were the most predictive for stroke/ systemic embolism death. Adding all biomarkers to clinical variables improved discrimination for each cause-specific death. Conclusions: Biomarkers were some of the strongest predictors of cause-specific death and may improve the ability to discriminate among patients' risks for different causes of death. These data suggest a potential role of biomarkers for the identification of patients at risk for different causes of death in patients anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00412984.
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