Early Rhythm Control for Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With End-Stage or Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the benefits and risks of early rhythm control (ERC) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Patients and Methods

This population-based cohort study included 5224 patients with AF (58.2% male, median age 70 years) with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD; n=1660) and CKD stage 3 to 4 (n=3564), who underwent ERC or rate control between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2015. A primary outcome consisted of cardiovascular death, ischemic stroke, heart failure–related hospitalization, and acute myocardial infarction.

Results

During a median follow-up of 3.5 years, compared with rate control, ERC was associated with a reduced risk of the primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98) without an increase in the composite safety outcome in CKD stage 3 to 4 (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.86 to 1.13). In patients with ESKD, there was no difference between rate control and ERC in the primary outcome (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.17) but an increase in composite safety outcome (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.50). During follow-up, 65.0% of patients with ESKD and 57.3% with CKD stage 3 to 4 failed to maintain ERC. In the on-treatment (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.99) and time-varying regression (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.98) analyses, ERC was associated with a lower risk of primary outcome even in patients with ESKD.

Conclusion

Early rhythm control revealed a modest risk-benefit profile in patients with ESKD compared with CKD stage 3 to 4, with poor adherence to ERC playing a major role. Therefore, an approach tailored to renal function should be considered for choosing AF treatment strategies.