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Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has consistently been associated with a higher risk of incident dementia. Observational evidence has suggested catheter ablation may be associated with a lower risk of dementia in patients with AF, but further research is needed. The objectives of this study were to use a global health research network to examine associations between catheter ablation, incident dementia and mortality in older adults with AF, and amongst subgroups by age, sex, co-morbidity status, and oral anticoagulant use.
Methods: The research network primarily included healthcare organizations in the United States. This network was searched on 28th September 2022 for patients aged ≥65 years with a diagnosis of AF received at least 5 years prior to the search date. Cox proportional hazard models were run on propensity-score matched cohorts.
Results: After propensity score matching, 20,746 participants (mean age 68 years; 59% male) were included in each cohort with and without catheter ablation. The cohorts were well balanced for age, sex, ethnicity, co-morbidities, and cardiovascular medications received. The risk of dementia was significantly lower in the catheter ablation cohort (Hazard Ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.45-0.61). The catheter ablation cohort also had a lower risk of all-cause mortality (Hazard Ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval: 0.55-0.61). These associations remained in subgroup analyses in individuals aged 65-79 years, ≥80 years, males, females, participants who received OACs during follow-up, participants with paroxysmal and non-paroxysmal AF, and participants with and without hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic stroke, chronic kidney disease and heart failure, including heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
Conclusion: The observed lower risk of dementia and mortality with catheter ablation could be an important consideration when determining appropriate patient-centered rhythm control strategies for patients with AF. Further studies including data on the success of ablation are required.
The predominant form of life for the majority of microorganisms in any hydrated biologic system is a cooperative community termed a “biofilm.” A biofilm on an indwelling urinary catheter consists of adherent microorganisms, their extracellular products, and host components deposited on the catheter. The biofilm mode of life conveys a survival advantage to the microorganisms associated with it and, thus, biofilm on urinary catheters results in persistent infections that are resistant to antimicrobial therapy. Because chronic catheterization leads almost inevitably to bacteriuria, routine treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in persons who are catheterized is not recommended. When symptoms of a urinary tract infection develop in a person who is catheterized, changing the catheter before collecting urine improves the accuracy of urine culture results. Changing the catheter may also improve the response to antibiotic therapy by removing the biofilm that probably contains the infecting organisms and that can serve as a nidus for reinfection. Currently, no proven effective strategies exist for prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection in persons who are chronically catheterized.
