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Objectives: This study sought to investigate the mortality associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in men and women with heart failure (HF) according to the sequence of presentation and rhythm versus rate control. Background: The sex-specific epidemiology of AF in HF is sparse. Methods: Using the Danish nationwide registries, all first-time cases of HF were identified and followed for all-cause mortality from 1998 to 2018. Results: Among 252,988 patients with HF (mean age: 74 ± 13 years, 45% women), AF presented before HF in 54,064 (21%) and on the same day in 27,651 (11%) individuals, similar in women and men. Among patients without AF, the cumulative 10-year incidence of AF was 18.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.2% to 19.1%) in women and 21.3% (95% CI: 21.0% to 21.6%) in men. On follow-up (mean: 6.2 ± 5.8 years), adjusted mortality rate ratios were 3.33 (95% CI: 3.25 to 3.41) in women and 2.84 (95% CI: 2.78 to 2.90) in men if AF antedated HF, 3.45 (95% CI: 3.37 to 3.56) in women versus 2.76 (95% CI: 2.69 to 2.83) in men when AF and HF were diagnosed concomitantly, and 4.85 (95% CI: 4.73 to 4.97) in women versus 3.89 (95% CI: 3.80 to 3.98) in men when AF developed after HF. Compared with rate control for AF, a rhythm-controlling strategy was associated with lowered mortality in inverse probability–weighted models across all strata and in both sexes (hazard ratio: 0.75 to 0.83), except for women who developed AF after HF onset (hazard ratio: 1.03). Conclusions: More than half of all men and women with HF will develop AF during their clinical course, with prognosis associated with AF being worse in women than men. Further studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms.

We sought to update norms for peak systolic blood pressure (SBP) on the graded exercise test and examine its prognostic value in patients without baseline cardiovascular disease. Mayo graded exercise test data (1993–2010) were reviewed for nonimaging tests using Bruce protocol, selecting Minnesota residents 30 to 79 years without baseline cardiovascular disease. We formed a pure cohort of patients without factors significantly affecting peak SBP to determine peak SBP percentile norms by age and sex. Then we divided the full cohort of patients into 5 groups based on peak SBP percentiles: low (90th). The relationship between peak SBP and mortality was tested using Cox regression adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities affecting peak SBP or mortality. We identified 20 760 eligible patients with 7313 females (35%) and mean age 51.5±10.7 years. Our pure cohort included 7810 patients. Over 12.5±5.0 years follow-up, there were 1582 deaths, including 541 cardiovascular deaths. In the fully adjusted model, low-peak SBP was associated with increased total mortality (heart rate, 1.41 [1.19–1.66], P P =0.001), while borderline low-peak SBP was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality only (heart rate, 1.36 [1.02–1.81], P =0.027). High peak SBP was associated with increased total mortality only in the age-sex adjusted model (heart rate, 1.18 [1.02–1.36], P =0.026), not after full adjustment. We conclude that low exercise peak SBP is an independent predictor of higher total and cardiovascular mortality.

BACKGROUND Functional aerobic capacity (FAC) determined by treadmill exercise testing (TMET) is associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease mortality independent of traditional CV risk factors and is a potentially underutilized tool. The purpose of this study was to determine added prognostic value of reduced FAC and other exercise test abnormalities beyond CV risk factors for predicting total and CV mortality. METHODS The TMET database was queried for Minnesota patients (≥30 years) without baseline CV disease from September 21, 1993, through December 20, 2010. Risk factors and exercise abnormalities including low FAC (

Body mass index (BMI) does not differentiate fat and lean mass or the distribution of adipose tissue. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among patients entering outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) across fat mass index (FMI) categories compared with BMI. This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry in 483 CR patients from 1 January 2014, through 31 December 2017. Clinical data were extracted from the electronic health record. Patients were grouped by FMI and BMI categories. Mean (SD) age of patients was 64.3 (14) years. The normal FMI category had 15 patients, excess fat, 74, and obese, 384. In contrast, 93, 174, and 216 were in the normal, overweight, and obese BMI categories, respectively. Prevalence of MetS was 0 (0%) in normal, 5 (1%) in excess fat, and 167 (54%) in obese FMI, with 97% in the obese category. MetS prevalence was 4 patients (0.8%) in normal, 39 (8%) in overweight, and 129 (27%) in obese BMI categories, with 75% of MetS in the obese category. FMI more accurately classified CR patients with metabolically abnormal fat (p &lt, 0.001). FMI is a more sensitive index than BMI for metabolically abnormal fat of outpatient CR patients.

Spontaneous second-degree atrioventricular block induced by exercise (Ex2AVB) is rare, but it can cause profound exercise intolerance.We sought to determine the frequency of Ex2AVB in our exercise testing practice and to describe characteristics of patients with Ex2AVB. We hypothesized that the number of patients would be small, but they would require invasive treatment.We reviewed the Mayo Clinic Integrated Stress Center database for nonimaging tests performed from 2006 through 2010. All exercise tests coded as "second-degree atrioventricular block" were captured and reviewed. Tests were excluded if results showed evidence of second-degree atrioventricular block at rest.From 40,715 tests performed, definite Ex2AVB was found in only 19 patients (0.05%; 5 women and 14 men). Ex2AVB occurred as a Mobitz type II block in 4 patients and as a Mobitz type I block in 15. In 3 patients, Ex2AVB occurred only in recovery. Ex2AVB was intermittent in 11 patients and persistent in 8. Mean peak heart rate was higher with intermittent Ex2AVB than with persistent Ex2AVB (126 ± 39 vs 88 ± 28 bpm, P .01), as was mean functional aerobic capacity (87% ± 20% vs 59% ± 14%, P .01). Seven patients with persistent Ex2AVB received a permanent pacemaker; 1 underwent pacemaker adjustment.Ex2AVB is uncommon but can cause exercise intolerance that requires pacemaker implantation. Structural or ischemic heart disease and resting conduction abnormalities are common findings in patients with Ex2AVB. Intervention is seldom required for intermittent Ex2AVB.