Clinical complexity and impact of the ABC (Atrial fibrillation Better Care) pathway in patients with atrial fibrillation: a report from the ESC-EHRA EURObservational Research Programme in AF General Long-Term Registry

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Romiti G. F., Proietti M., Vitolo M., Bonini N., Fawzy A. M., Ding W. Y., ...Daha Fazla

BMC MEDICINE, cilt.20, sa.1, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 20 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2022
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1186/s12916-022-02526-7
  • Dergi Adı: BMC MEDICINE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, BIOSIS, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Atrial fibrillation, Integrated management, Outcomes, Clinical complexity, FRAILTY, DISEASE
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background Clinical complexity is increasingly prevalent among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The 'Atrial fibrillation Better Care' (ABC) pathway approach has been proposed to streamline a more holistic and integrated approach to AF care; however, there are limited data on its usefulness among clinically complex patients. We aim to determine the impact of ABC pathway in a contemporary cohort of clinically complex AF patients. Methods From the ESC-EHRA EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry, we analysed clinically complex AF patients, defined as the presence of frailty, multimorbidity and/or polypharmacy. A K-medoids cluster analysis was performed to identify different groups of clinical complexity. The impact of an ABC-adherent approach on major outcomes was analysed through Cox-regression analyses and delay of event (DoE) analyses. Results Among 9966 AF patients included, 8289 (83.1%) were clinically complex. Adherence to the ABC pathway in the clinically complex group reduced the risk of all-cause death (adjusted HR [aHR]: 0.72, 95%CI 0.58-0.91), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; aHR: 0.68, 95%CI 0.52-0.87) and composite outcome (aHR: 0.70, 95%CI: 0.58-0.85). Adherence to the ABC pathway was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of death (aHR: 0.74, 95%CI 0.56-0.98) and composite outcome (aHR: 0.76, 95%CI 0.60-0.96) also in the high-complexity cluster; similar trends were observed for MACEs. In DoE analyses, an ABC-adherent approach resulted in significant gains in event-free survival for all the outcomes investigated in clinically complex patients. Based on absolute risk reduction at 1 year of follow-up, the number needed to treat for ABC pathway adherence was 24 for all-cause death, 31 for MACEs and 20 for the composite outcome. Conclusions An ABC-adherent approach reduces the risk of major outcomes in clinically complex AF patients. Ensuring adherence to the ABC pathway is essential to improve clinical outcomes among clinically complex AF patients.