Atrial Fibrillation Linked to Fourfold Rise in Cardiac Arrest Risk Among HFpEF Patients: Study Shows
USA: Atrial fibrillation (AF) substantially heightens the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias and cardiac arrest in individuals with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to a recent study published in Heart Rhythm. The study, led by Dr. Benjamin A. Rosen and his team from Deborah Heart and Lung Center, New Jersey, highlights a pressing need to refine risk assessment strategies for this growing patient population.
Despite accounting for a considerable number of deaths among HFpEF patients, sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains poorly understood in this group, with few reliable tools for identifying high-risk individuals. The current study aimed to bridge this gap by identifying potential clinical predictors of serious ventricular arrhythmias or cardiac arrest in HFpEF patients.
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort analysis involving 951 individuals diagnosed with HFpEF between 2015 and 2022 at a single specialized cardiac care center. Patient data—including demographics and a comprehensive set of 18 clinical variables—were extracted from electronic health records using diagnostic codes. Key variables included the presence of comorbid conditions such as coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnea, anemia, chronic kidney disease, and atrial fibrillation.
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