A new study conducted by the RE-LY Registry is suggesting that approximately one in every 10 arterial fibrillation (AF) patients who end up in the hospital emergency room will die within a year. However, the study is also showing that this rate varies depending on which region in which the patient lives.

This new analysis is also suggesting that these mortality rates which change depending on locale also change the stroke rates which are less pronounced after anticoagulation management is corrected to suit the patient’s heart risks. The RE-LY Registry that was used for conducting this study included researchers analyzing data collected from 15,408 patients from 47 different countries. The report was presented at the European Society of Cardiology by Dr. Jeff Healy (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON).

This study was different form the recent RE-LY trials of the anticoagulant medication dabigatran, which tested the drug against a placebo for use as a treatment for thromboembolism in nonvalvular AF. For this study, the researchers looked at AF patients who wound up in the emergency room from 2008-2011. A follow-up after about a year was also used to see how many patients suffered a stroke, embolisms, heart attacks, bleeding and death. Healey stated that the number of patients who died within that year “was quite high and somewhat higher than expected, at 11 percent.”

As for the worldwide trends, Healey said, “The most striking of these is the rate in Africa, where 20 percent died within one year of presentation with AF.”

“Other numbers around the world were 18 percent for South America, about 7.5 percent for Western Europe, 8 percent for Eastern Europe and about 9 percent for India,” states a published article in Medscape.

Healey goes on to say, “This may represent not only differences in patient characteristics but unmonitored biases in the types of patients recruited and in the way that they are managed between countries. Indeed, most of the differences between one-year mortality were attenuated after adjustment for heart failure, coronary disease, hypertension, diabetes and rheumatic heart disease, although there are still some outliers such as India, where the mortality rates remained lower than the rest of the world.”

AF is a serious condition that causes the heart to beat in an irregular fashion; the patient often experiences “flutters.” The condition is treated with numerous medications including the anticoagulant Multaq. But research has shown that Multaq causes liver failure and a worsening of the heart condition for some patients.

If you or a loved one has suffered from liver failure or a worsening heart condition after being treated with Multaq, contact the attorneys at Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Multaq lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your injuries.