Design, Rationale and Initial Findings From HERA-FIB on 10 222 Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Presenting to an...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Clinical Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Disease management for atrial fibrillation (AF) has improved, yet certain patient populations remain underrepresented in clinical studies.
• The Heidelberg Registry of Atrial Fibrillation (HERA-FIB) was established to gather real-world evidence on AF patients presenting to a chest pain unit.
• This registry addresses the need for data on demographics and management in diverse AF patient cohorts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the real-world prevalence, demographic characteristics, and management of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.
• To describe the structure, governance, and data collection processes of the HERA-FIB registry.
• To investigate characteristics of underrepresented patient populations within AF management.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, observational, single-center study design.
• Inclusion of 10,222 consecutive patients diagnosed with AF presenting to a chest pain unit (June 2009 - March 2020).
• Retrospective assessment of clinical parameters, patient characteristics, and outcomes including all-cause death, stroke, myocardial infarction, and major bleeding.

Main Results:

• The HERA-FIB registry enrolled over 10,000 patients with atrial fibrillation.
• Data collection covered a period of significant transition in oral anticoagulation therapies.
• The registry facilitated the examination of patient cohorts with advanced chronic kidney disease, octogenarians, and acute coronary syndrome.

Conclusions:

• HERA-FIB is a substantial real-world registry for atrial fibrillation patients.
• It captures a critical period of transition from vitamin K antagonists to non-vitamin K oral anticoagulation.
• The registry enables research on patient populations often excluded from trials and existing registries.