Prognosis of congestive heart failure after prior myocardial infarction inolder persons with atrial fibrillation versus sinus rhythm

In a prospective study of 651 older persons with congestive heart failure a fter prior myocardial infarction, persons with atrial fibrillation had a si gnificantly higher mortality than those with sinus rhythm if they had an ab normal (p = 0.005) or normal (p = 0.0001) left ventricular ejection fractio n. The Cox regression model showed that significant independent risk factor s for total mortality were age (risk ratio 1.03 for an increment of 1 year of age), hypertension (risk ratio 1.2), diabetes mellitus (risk ratio 1.4), abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction (risk ratio 2.1), and atrial f ibrillation (risk ratio 1.5).