According to a new study, seniors who are on hemodialysis experience more occurrences of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the study also found that the death rate for those patients is actually lower. This study, which was published online in the October 2 issue of Circulation, was conducted by Dr. Wolfgang Winkelmayer of Stanford University’s School of Medicine.

Previous studies have already found that patients on dialysis who have AF are twice as likely to die from the condition as patients who don’t have the heart condition. For the study, researchers analyzed information that was collected from Medicare claims between 1995 and 2007. That data was used to identify patients who were 67 years old or older and were also beginning dialysis. The information excluded the patients who had AF two years earlier. The information also included as many as 258,605 patients who were being monitored for AF, death and kidney transplants.

“Over 514,395 person-years of follow-up, 76,252 patients developed AF, for a crude AF incidence rate of 148/1,000 person-years,” the report said. “Compared with individuals whose AF was first diagnosed in 1995, those in whom it was first diagnosed in 2008 experienced a 22 percent lower mortality after adjustment for demographic factors.”

Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that is characterized by a fluttering or irregular heartbeat. Most AF patients take prescriptions medications to help treat the condition. One of those medications is Multaq, made by Sanofi-Aventis. Multaq is not often prescribed unless other medications fail to work because the drug can cause liver failure and worsen a patient’s heart condition.

If you or a loved one has developed liver failure or a worsening of the heart condition as a result of taking Multaq, contact attorney 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.