AIM:The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of geriatric syndromes among older medical inpatients with atrial fibrillation, and their association with use of vitamin K antagonists. METHODS:A retrospective study of patients aged ≥65 years discharged with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation from the Acute Geriatric Ward was carried out. Stroke and bleeding risk were evaluated according to the CHA2 DS2 -VASC and HAS-BLED scores. Comorbidity, cognitive status, functional autonomy and contraindications to vitamin K antagonists were also considered. RESULTS:Atrial fibrillation was documented in 1078 of 3650 patients (29.5%, mean age 83.4 ± 6.6 years, 60.3% women). Contraindications to vitamin K antagonists were documented in 24.9% of patients. Prescription of vitamin K antagonists at discharge was 37.8% and 47.9%, in the overall sample and in those without contraindications, respectively. In the overall sample, prescription of vitamin K antagonists was associated with younger age, permanent/persistent atrial fibrillation, home discharge, less comorbidity, higher hemoglobin levels, better functional independence, known atrial fibrillation at admission and lower HAS-BLED score. Among patients without contraindications to vitamin K antagonists, their use at discharge was independently associated with younger age, permanent/persistent atrial fibrillation, home discharge, higher hemoglobin levels and CHA2DS2-VASC score, better functional autonomy, and greater number of drugs. CONCLUSIONS:We showed a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation among older medical inpatients, who have a poor health status and a high prevalence of geriatric syndromes. Vitamin K antagonists were prescribed in less than half of the patients; underuse was mainly accounted for by a high prevalence of comorbidities/contraindications, poor health status and limited functional autonomy. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 416-423.

In this retrospective cohort observational study, we investigated mortality, ischemic, and hemorrhagic events in patients ≥65 years with atrial fibrillation consecutively discharged from an Acute Geriatric Ward in the period 2010 to 2013. Stroke and bleeding risk were evaluated using CHA2DS2-VASC (congestive heart failure/left ventricular dysfunction, hypertension, aged ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, stroke/transient ischemic attack/systemic embolism, vascular disease, aged 65 to 74 years, gender category) and HAS-BLED (hypertension, abnormal renal/liver function, stroke, bleeding history or predisposition, labile international normalized ratio, elderly, drugs/alcohol concomitantly) scores. Co-morbidity, cognitive status, and functional autonomy were evaluated using standardized scales. Independent associations among clinical variables, including use of vitamin K antagonist-based oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT), all-cause mortality, and fatal and nonfatal ischemic and hemorrhagic events, were evaluated. Further clinical outcomes comparison between patients treated with OAT and those untreated was performed after adjustment for significant differences in patient baseline characteristics with propensity score matching. Of 980 patients discharged (mean age 83 years, 60% women, roughly 30% cognitively impaired or functionally dependent, mean CHA2DS2-VASC and HAS-BLED scores 4.8 and 2.1, respectively), 505 (51.5%) died during a mean follow-up period of 571 days; ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke occurred in 82 (12.3%) and 13 patients (1.3%), respectively, and major bleedings in 43 patients (4.4%). Vitamin K antagonists' use was independently associated with reduced mortality (odds ratio 0.524) and with a nonsignificant reduction in incidence of ischemic stroke, without excess in bleeding risk. Similar findings were observed in the 2 propensity score-matched cohorts of patients. In conclusion, among vulnerable patients with atrial fibrillation ≥65 years with high post-discharge death rate, OAT was associated, among other multiple factors, with reduced mortality.

ObjectivesIncreasing evidence has mounted in recent years on the potential prognostic role of biomarkers out of cardiac-specific medical settings. We aimed to test whether cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers are independently associated with in-hospital mortality in older unselected medical inpatients undergoing standardized multidimensional evaluation.DesignObservational study conducted in a metropolitan university-teaching hospital. A standardized, multidimensional analysis was carried out on all patients by using medical and hospital discharge documentation and interview results integrated with information collected from family members or caregivers.Participants and settingPatients older than 65 years consecutively admitted to the acute geriatric ward and to 2 acute medical wards of the hospital.ResultsMale sex; low systolic blood pressure; APACHE score; functional impairment in activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADLs, and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB); cognitive impairment; malnutrition; low albumin values; and elevated values of inflammatory and cardiac biomarkers were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality at univariate analysis. After multivariate analysis, male sex, low systolic blood pressure values at entry, severe cognitive impairment, and low functional performance measured by the SPPB resulted to be independently associated with in-hospital mortality.ConclusionsThe main finding of the present study is that these biomarkers, although associated with in-hospital mortality, do not have independent predictive significance when a comprehensive and multidimensional evaluation is conducted. The main clinical implication is that our findings should discourage the indiscriminate recourse to measurement of cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers, at least in older medical inpatients, thereby reducing a patient's hospital cost and potentially minimizing further unnecessary diagnostic procedures.