In patients with AF and HF , rate control compared with rhythm control showed inferior risk of hospitalisation
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) is a common arrhythmia that can promote or worsen heart failure ( HF ) .
Our purpose was to compare the effects of rate and rhythm control in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure .
Morbidity and mortality among heart failure patients in Galicia, N.W. Spain: the GALICAP Study.
OBJECTIVE Characterization of current morbidity and mortality among heart failure ( HF ) out patients in Galicia ( N.W. Spain ) , together with their main determinants . DESIGN Prospect i ve multicentre study involving 149 primary care physicians . SETTING Primary care physicians selected r and omly from among all ( 1959 ) primary care physicians in Galicia . PATIENTS Clinical and epidemiological information for 1195 out patients with HF were collected in 2006 , with a mean follow-up of 6.5+/-1.5 months . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Survival rates were calculated by Cox 's proportional hazard model . RESULTS Mean patient age was 76 years , 48 % were male , 82 % had a history of arterial hypertension , and 32 % ischaemic cardiopathy . Echocardiography had been performed in 67 % , showing preserved systolic function in 61 % . Ninety-two ( 8 % ) died during follow-up [ 74 ( 80 % ) of them from cardiac causes ] , and 313 ( 29 % ) were re-admitted to hospital [ 230 ( 73 % ) of them for cardiac reasons ] . Multivariate analysis identified the following independent predictors of cardiovascular death and /or readmission : ischaemic cardiopathy [ hazard ratio ( HR ) 1.76 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 1.29 - 4.40 ] , stroke ( HR 1.79 , CI 1.18 - 2.73 ) , oedema ( HR 1.49 , CI 1.10 - 2.03 ) , anaemia ( HR 1.66 , CI 1.21 - 2.27 ) , deteriorated systolic function ( HR 1.62 , CI 1.19 - 2.20 ) , and previous cardiovascular admissions ( HR 2.33 , CI 1.67 - 3.24 ) . Residence in the Barbanza district was identified as an independent predictor of survival free from cardiovascular admission ( HR 0.56 , CI 0.37 - 0.86 ) . CONCLUSION Morbidity and mortality are currently high among Galician HF patients , and their best single predictor is previous hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons
In patients with AF and HF , rate control compared with rhythm control showed inferior risk of hospitalisation
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) is a common arrhythmia that can promote or worsen heart failure ( HF ) .
Our purpose was to compare the effects of rate and rhythm control in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure .