Socioeconomic status and trends in utilization of catheter ablation in patients hospitalized with atrial fibrillation in united states

Abstract

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in a hospital setting. However, there is little data on the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) and the utilization of catheter ablation amongst patients admitted with AF. Methods The National Inpatient Sample database was queried from 2003 to 2014 using ICD 9 revised diagnosis codes to identify patients who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of AF. SES was determined by median household income (MHI) and divided into quartiles (0–25th, 26–50th, 51–75th, and 76–100th). Trends were analyzed using Cochran Armitage test. Results We analyzed 3,618,133 patients with AF that were admitted from 2003 to 2014 (median age: 72 [IQR 61 – 81], female 52.6%). Trends stratified by MHI to compare catheter ablation rates of all 12 years revealed significant differences (Figure 1). A multivariable logistic regression accounting for sociodemographic factors revealed an increasing trend of catheter ablation utilization with higher MHI (Figure 1). Conclusion Over a 12-year period, patients admitted to the hospital with AF with higher MHI were found to have increasing rates of catheter ablation utilization due to AF. Conversely, a decline in catheter ablation rates were noted in patients with lower MHI. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Epidemiology, Trends, Utilization Disparities, and Outcomes of Catheter Ablation and Its Association With Coronary Vasospasm Amongst Patients With Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Burden of Last Decade

“…Rojulpote et al studied the trends of CA utilization in the US between 2004 and 2014 among different income classes. It was found that the trend has been decreasing among patients with a low-income status but increasing in patients with higher incomes [ 38 ].…”