title: Outcomes of a contemporary sample of patients with atrial fibrillation taking digoxin: results from the AFBAR study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to assess and compare the effect of digoxin on clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation vs those under beta-blockers or none of these drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  AFBAR is a prospective registry study carried out by a team of primary care physicians (n=777 patients). Primary endpoints were survival, survival free of admission due to any cause, and survival free of admission due to cardiovascular causes. The mean follow up was 2.9 years. Four groups were analyzed: patients receiving digoxin, beta-blockers, or digoxin plus beta-blockers, and patients receiving none of these drugs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 212 patients (27.28%) received digoxin as the only heart control strategy, 184 received beta-blockers (23.68%), 58 (7.46%) were administered both, and 323 (41.57%) received none of these drugs. Digoxin was not associated with all-cause mortality (estimated hazard ratio=1.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.77-2.60; P=.2), admission due to any cause (estimated hazard ratio=1.03; 95% confidence interval, 0.710-1.498; P=.8), or admission due to cardiovascular causes (estimated hazard ratio=1.193; 95% confidence interval, 0.725-1.965; P=.4). No association was found between digoxin use and all-cause mortality, admission due to any cause, or admission due to cardiovascular causes in patients without heart failure. There was no interaction between digoxin use and sex in all-cause mortality or in survival free of admission due to any cause. However, an association was found between sex and admission due to cardiovascular causes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Digoxin was not associated with increased all-cause mortality, survival free of admission due to any cause, or admission due to cardiovascular causes, regardless of underlying heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Servizo de Cardioloxía, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain. Electronic address: moirmanero@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Moisés
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Mañero
authors.affiliation: Dirección de Asistencia Sanitaria, SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Otero-Raviña
authors.affiliation: Servizo de Cardioloxía, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Seara
authors.affiliation: Centro de Saúde de Negreira, Xerencia de Xestión Integrada de Santiago de Compostela, SERGAS, Negreira, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Lucrecia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zugaza-Gurruchaga
authors.affiliation: Centro de Saúde de A Pobra do Caramiñal, Xerencia de Xestión Integrada de Santiago de Compostela, SERGAS, A Pobra do Caramiñal, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-García
authors.affiliation: Centro de Saúde de Lousame, Xerencia de Xestión Integrada Santiago de Compostela, SERGAS, Lousame, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blanco-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Saúde Concepción Arenal, Xerencia de Xestión Integrada de Santiago de Compostela, SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Victorino
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Turrado Turrado
authors.affiliation: Centro de Saúde de Ribeira, Xerencia de Xestión Integrada de Santiago de Compostela, SERGAS, Ribeira, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Villaverde
authors.affiliation: Servizo de Cardioloxía, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Vidal-Pérez
authors.affiliation: Servizo de Cardioloxía, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), SERGAS, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: José R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: González-Juanatey
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D004077:Digoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D004077:Digoxin
keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Cardiovascular admission; Digoxin; Digoxina; Fibrilación auricular; Ingreso cardiovascular