These results showed that AF is an independent risk factor for MI , CV death , and CV events
This study aim ed to investigate whether  atrial fibrillation ( AF ) predicts myocardial infa rct ion ( MI ) or cardiovascular ( CV ) death .
AF is a well-established risk factor for thrombotic stroke and all-cause mortality .
Causes of Death and Influencing Factors in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Competing-Risk Analysis From the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy Study
Background — Atrial fibrillation is associated with increased mortality , but the specific causes of death and their predictors have not been described among patients on effective anticoagulant therapy . Methods and Results — The R and omized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy ( RE-LY ) trial r and omized 18 113 patients ( age , 71.5±9 years ; male , 64 % ; CHADS2 score , 2.1±1 ) to receive dabigatran or warfarin .  Median follow-up was 2 years , and complete follow-up was achieved in 99.9 % of patients . All deaths were categorized by the investigators using prespecified definitions followed by central adjudication . Overall , 1371 deaths occurred ( annual mortality rate , 3.84 % ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 3.64–4.05 ) . Cardiac deaths ( sudden cardiac death and progressive heart failure ) accounted for 37.4 % of all deaths , whereas stroke- and hemorrhage-related deaths represented 9.8 % of the total mortality . An examination of the causes of death according to dabigatran or warfarin showed that dabigatran significantly reduced vascular ( embolism and hemorrhage-related ) mortality ( relative risk , 0.63 ; 95 % CI , 0.45–0.88 ; P=0.007 ) , whereas other causes of death were similar between treatments , including cardiac mortality ( relative risk , 0.96 ; 95 % CI , 0.80–1.15 ; P=0.638 ) . The two strongest independent predictors of cardiac death in this population were heart failure ( hazard ratio , 3.02 ; 95 % CI , 2.45–3.73 ; P<0.0001 ) , and prior myocardial infa rct ion ( hazard ratio , 2.05 ; 95 % CI , 1.61–2.62 ; P<0.0001 ) . Conclusions — The majority of deaths are not related to stroke in a contemporary anticoagulated atrial fibrillation population . These results emphasize the need to identify interventions beyond effective anticoagulation to further reduce mortality in atrial fibrillation . Clinical Trial Registration — URL : http://www . clinical trials.gov . Unique identifier : NCT00262600
These results showed that AF is an independent risk factor for MI , CV death , and CV events
This study aim ed to investigate whether  atrial fibrillation ( AF ) predicts myocardial infa rct ion ( MI ) or cardiovascular ( CV ) death .
AF is a well-established risk factor for thrombotic stroke and all-cause mortality .