Why the study?
The high prevalence of AF in the very elderly might be underestimated despite their increased risk of fatal stroke and bleeding, warranting contemporary management data in the NOAC era.
Real-world data from elderly Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation reveals poor adherence to oral anticoagulants at 1 year, with a high proportion inappropriately receiving or switching to antiplatelet therapy.
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Persistent OAC underuse in elderly AF signals need for adherence support; leaves open targeted intervention trials in Asian cohorts.
BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the very elderly population (aged >80 years) might be underestimated. The elderly are at increased risk of both fatal stroke and bleeding. The Optimal Thromboprophylaxis in Elderly Chinese Patients with Atrial Fibrillation (ChiOTEAF) registry provides contemporary management strategies among the elderly Chinese patients in the new era of non-vitamin K antagonists. OBJECTIVE: To present the 1-year follow-up data from the ChiOTEAF registry, focusing on the use of antithrombotic therapy, rate vs. rhythm control strategies, and determinants of mortality and stroke. METHODS: The ChiOTEAF registry analyzed consecutive AF patients presenting in 44 centers from 20 Chinese provinces from October 2014 to December 2018. Endpoints of interest were mortality, thromboembolism, major bleedings, cardiovascular comorbidities, and hospital re-admissions. RESULTS: Of the 7077 patients enrolled at baseline, 657 patients (9.3%) were lost to the follow-up and 435 deaths (6.8%) occurred. The overall use of anticoagulants remains low, approximately 38% of the entire cohort at follow-up, with similar proportions of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and non-vitamin K antagonists (NOACs). Antiplatelet therapy was used in 38% of the entire cohort at follow-up, and more commonly among high-risk patients (41%). Among those on a NOAC at baseline, 22.4% switched to antiplatelet therapy alone after one year.Independent predictors of stroke/transient ischemic attack/peripheral embolism and/or mortality were age, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, prior ischemic stroke, dementia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CONCLUSIONS: The ChiOTEAF registry provides contemporary data on AF management, including stroke prevention. The poor adherence of NOACs and common use of antiplatelet in these high-risk elderly population calls for multiple comorbidities management.
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Guo et al. (2021) studied this question.
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