Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
28:13

Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: February 26, 2013

33.6K

Prevalence and treatment of atrial fibrillation in older adults

Jacek Liczko1, Samuel Schülein2, Thomas Tümena3

  • 1Geriatrics Center Erlangen, Department of Geriatrics and Geriatric Rehabilitation, Malteser Waldkrankenhaus St. Marien, Rathsberger Straße 57, 91054, Erlangen, Germany. jacekliczko@gmail.com.

Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie
|January 29, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in older adults. Anticoagulation increased significantly, with personalized treatment recommended despite bleeding risks.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Cardiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in the geriatric population, significantly impacting morbidity and mortality.
  • Older adults represent a growing demographic with a high burden of cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence, treatment patterns, and comorbidities of AF in a large cohort of hospitalized older adults.
  • To analyze trends in anticoagulation use for AF in this population over a nine-year period.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 10,700 older adults with AF hospitalized between 2010 and 2018.
  • Examination of anticoagulation frequency, comorbidities, and CHA2DS2-VASc scores.
  • Logistic regression to identify predictive factors for anticoagulation.

Main Results:

  • AF prevalence in hospitalized older adults was 29.8% in 2018, with a mean age of 83.2 years.
  • Anticoagulation frequency for AF patients increased from 32.1% (2010) to 64.2% (2018), with a preference for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).
  • No predictive factors for anticoagulation were identified in multivariate analysis; non-anticoagulated patients had more diagnoses and poorer functional status.

Conclusions:

  • Hospitalized older adults exhibit a higher prevalence of AF than the general population.
  • Despite increased bleeding risks, anticoagulation use in older adults with AF has risen, with personalized treatment decisions being crucial.
  • The study underscores the need for individualized anticoagulation strategies in older adults, considering their complex health profiles.
Abstract

Keywords:
AnticoagulationCardiac arrythmiaGeriatricsRisk factorsTherapy

More Related Videos

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation23:33

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: February 28, 2012

83.9K
Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation08:10

Estimating Bilateral Atrial Function by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking in Patients with Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation

Published on: July 20, 2022

1.8K

Related Concept Videos

Dysrhythmias VI: Management of Dysrhythmias01:25

Dysrhythmias VI: Management of Dysrhythmias

Dysrhythmia management involves a multifaceted approach, incorporating pharmacological treatments, medical procedures, surgical interventions, lifestyle modifications, and patient education.Pharmacological ManagementAntiarrhythmic Drugs:Class I (Sodium Channel Blockers): This class includes quinidine and procainamide, which reduce the speed of impulse conduction in the heart, stabilize the cardiac membrane, and control arrhythmias. Quinidine and procainamide are Class IA agents that prolong the...
138
Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care01:29

Venous Thrombosis III: Interprofessional Care

Venous thrombosis requires effective prevention and treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes and reduce potential complications.Prevention StrategiesHealthcare providers must prioritize preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) for all adult patients upon admission. Interventions depend on bleeding and thrombosis risk, medical history, current medications, diagnoses, planned procedures, and patient preferences. Patients on bed rest should change positions every two hours and, if not...
46
ECG Interpretation of Arrhythmias II: Atrial, Junctional and Ventricular Arrhythmias01:25

ECG Interpretation of Arrhythmias II: Atrial, Junctional and Ventricular Arrhythmias

Arrhythmia is a condition characterized by an irregular heart rhythm, with ECG changes that differ based on its origin and nature. The types of arrhythmias discussed below include atrial, junctional, and ventricular arrhythmias.Atrial ArrhythmiasPremature Atrial Complexes (PACs): PACs are early atrial beats caused by stress, caffeine, alcohol, electrolyte imbalances, hypoxia, hyperthyroidism, or certain medications (e.g., bronchodilators and decongestants). The ECG shows early P waves with an...
193
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution01:00

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are...
3
Disturbances in Heart Rhythm01:29

Disturbances in Heart Rhythm

Arrhythmia or dysrhythmia refers to an abnormal heart rhythm caused by a defect in the heart's conduction system. It can cause the heart to beat irregularly, too quickly, or too slowly, leading to symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and fainting. Factors such as stress, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, certain drugs, congenital defects, diseases, and electrolyte abnormalities can trigger arrhythmias.
Arrhythmias are categorized by their speed, rhythm, and origin. A slow heart...
1.5K
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
12