Atrial Fibrillation Studies at Stanford University in Medicare Patients Provide Clues to Future Cardiovascular Hospitalizations

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Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a common condition among Medicare patients, which is characterized by an abnormal beating pattern of the heart’s atria. It is the most common heart arrhythmia, affecting 9% of people ages 65 and older. Certain cardiovascular conditions, like high blood pressure and heart failure, can increase the likelihood of developing AFib as patients age. AFib also increases the risk for stroke and bleeding in patients, however the development of pharmaceuticals have mediated such risk factors.¹

A study conducted in 2013 at Stanford University School of Medicine examined the relationship between cardiovascular hospitalizations and mortality rates in Medicare patients recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Using a sizable sample of Medicare Part A and B claims, the authors studied if AFib diagnoses led to a higher rate of cardiovascular hospitalizations in the first year after diagnosis. They also analyzed if there were other cardiovascular risk factors at play in cardiovascular hospitalizations².

A 2015 study done with input from the Food & Drug Administration and the Economics Department at Stanford with data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services examined the effects of three different anticoagulant medications used to treat nonvalvular AFib. One study analyzed dabigatran with respect to warfarin, with warfarin as the baseline medication. Authors studied how these two medications affected risk levels of ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, major gastrointestinal bleeding, and death.³

Another study analyzed the anticoagulants rivaroxaban and dabigatran, with the latter as the baseline. This investigation in 2016 was also conducted in collaboration between the Food & Drug Administration and Stanford’s Economics Department using CMS data. This study was similar to the previously discussed one in that it examined the risk factors of intracranial hemorrhages, major extracranial bleeding, thromboembolic stroke, and death.⁴

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saparja Nag

Saparja is a healthcare journalist with a particular interest in how medicine can and should affect health policy. She has extensive experience as a health educator and research scientist in biochemistry. She also enjoys running, cooking elaborate meals, and then eating elaborate meals. Saparja received a Bachelors of Arts in Biochemistry from Vassar College.