Twelve-month mortality and associated factors among older adults with non-valvular atrial fibrillation admitted to a geriatric short-stay unit in Guadeloupe: the FAGU cohort

Non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is common in very old adults and carries substantial thromboembolic and mortality risks. Evidence from Caribbean settings is scarce. To assess 12-month mortality and associated factors in older adults with NVAF hospitalized in a geriatric short-stay unit in Guadeloupe. Retrospective single-center cohort including patients aged ≥ 70 years with a history of NVAF or in-hospital NVAF, admitted between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020. Primary endpoint: all-cause mortality at 12 months. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression estimated odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Among 220 patients (mean age 86 ± 7 years; 53.6% women), 25 (11.4%) died during the index hospitalization; 123 (55.9%) had died by 12 months. Lower ADL scores (OR 0.887, 95% CI 0.813–0.968), undernutrition (OR 1.620, 95% CI 1.096–2.393), and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 1.132, 95% CI 1.031–1.243) were independently associated with 12‑month mortality. In very old adults with NVAF in Guadeloupe, undernutrition, loss of autonomy, and multimorbidity were independently associated with 12‑month mortality. These findings highlight the importance of nutritional status, functional autonomy, and multimorbidity in the prognostic assessment of very old adults with NVAF.