title: Evaluation of the impact of atrial fibrillation on rehospitalization events in heart failure patients in recent years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although we have previously reported that the presence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is an independent risk factor for rehospitalization in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) in a population from 1996 to 2002, the impact of AF configuration as a risk factor in a more recent population remains to be clarified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  319 patients with CHF admitted to our institute in 2006-2007 were retrospectively evaluated. The patients were divided into 3 groups in accordance with their basic cardiac rhythm, i.e. sinus rhythm (n=210), chronic AF (n=68), and paroxysmal AF (n=41). During the follow-up period of 19 ± 17 months, there was no significant difference in mortality or rehospitalization events among the 3 groups (p=0.542). In the multivariate analysis, no administration of β-blockers was the only independent risk factor for rehospitalization due to CHF exacerbation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical impact of AF configuration as a risk factor of rehospitalization due to CHF exacerbation was considered to be decreased in recent years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardio-Angiology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan. masamim@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niwano
authors.forename: Toshimi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koitabashi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kishihara
authors.forename: Shoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yuya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aoyama
authors.forename: Hiroe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niwano
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Izumi
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists