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Treatment Failure With Rhythm and Rate Control Strategies in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Congestive Heart Failure: An AF‐CHF Substudy
Author(s) -
DYRDA KATIA,
ROY DENIS,
LEDUC HUGUES,
TALAJIC MARIO,
STEVENSON LYNNE WARNER,
GUERRA PETER G.,
ANDRADE JASON,
DUBUC MARC,
MACLE LAURENT,
THIBAULT BERNARD,
RIVARD LENA,
KHAIRY PAUL
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1540-8167
pISSN - 1045-3873
DOI - 10.1111/jce.12828
Subject(s) - medicine , heart failure , atrial fibrillation , cardiology , hazard ratio , digoxin , rhythm , confidence interval , heart rate , blood pressure
Treatment Failures in AF‐CHF Introduction Rate and rhythm control strategies for atrial fibrillation (AF) are not always effective or well tolerated in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We assessed reasons for treatment failure, associated characteristics, and effects on survival. Methods and Results A total of 1,376 patients enrolled in the AF‐CHF trial were followed for 37 ± 19 months, 206 (15.0%) of whom failed initial therapy leading to crossover. Rhythm control was abandoned more frequently than rate control (21.0% vs. 9.1%, P < 0.0001). Crossovers from rhythm to rate control were driven by inefficacy, whereas worsening heart failure was the most common reason to crossover from rate to rhythm control. In multivariate analyses, failure of rhythm control was associated with female sex, higher serum creatinine, functional class III or IV symptoms, lack of digoxin, and oral anticoagulation. Factors independently associated with failure of rate control were paroxysmal (vs. persistent) AF, statin therapy, and presence of an implantable cardioverter–defibrillator. Crossovers were not associated with cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11 from rhythm to rate control; 95% confidence interval [95% CI, 0.73–1.73]; P = 0.6069; HR 1.29 from rate to rhythm control; 95% CI, 0.73–2.25; P = 0.3793) or all‐cause mortality (HR 1.16 from rhythm to rate control, 95% CI [0.79–1.72], P = 0.4444; HR 1.15 from rate to rhythm control, 95% [0.69, 1.91], P = 0.5873). Conclusions Rhythm control is abandoned more frequently than rate control in patients with AF and CHF. The most common reasons for treatment failure are inefficacy for rhythm control and worsening heart failure for rate control. Changing strategies does not impact survival.