A sizable percentage of patients who have heart failure also have the heart rhythm disorder known as A-fib Having both problems makes their care much more challenging for doctors These patients are at significantly higher risk WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- For the 4 in 10 patients with newly diagnosed who also have the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation, the prognosis can be poor. "Atrial fibrillation can make heart failure much more problematic, and more complex to treat," said researcher , a cardiovascular epidemiologist at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City.
That's why she and colleagues who have studied patients with both conditions are urging doctors to screen newly diagnosed heart failure patients for atrial fibrillation (A-fib). The recommendation is an outgrowth of their new study, which looked at health records of nearly 22,000 patients treated for new-onset heart failure at Intermountain Healthcare between 2009 and 2019. They presented their findings Monday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.
Research presented at meetings is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. This new study not only looked at the prognosis for patients newly diagnosed with heart failure, but also at the type of heart failure they have. Patients with A-fib and with a type of heart failure in which the heart no longer pumps efficiently have a particularly poor prognosis.
A-fib causes the heart to beat irregularly and often ver.