Background: Geriatric conditions, such as frailty and cognitive impairment, are prevalent in older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We examined the prognostic value of geriatric conditions for predicting 1-year mortality and bleeding events in these patients.

Methods: SAGE (Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Elements)-AF study is a multicenter cohort study which enrolled individuals (mean age 75 years, 48% women, 86% taking oral anticoagulation) 65 years and older with AF and CHA2DS2 -VASc score of 2 or higher from clinics in Massachusetts and Georgia, USA between 2016 and 2018. A six-component geriatric assessment included validated measures of frailty, cognitive function, social support, depressive symptoms, vision, and hearing was performed at baseline. Study endpoints included all-cause mortality and clinically relevant bleeding.

Results: At 1 year, 1,097 (96.5%) individuals attended the follow up visit, 44 (3.9%) had died, and 56 (5.1%) had clinically relevant bleeding. After adjustment for demographic and clinical factors, social isolation (odds ratio [OR] 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.84), depression (OR 1.94, 95% CI: 1.28-2.95) and frailty (OR 2.55, 95% CI: 1.55-4.19) were significantly associated with the composite endpoint of death or clinically relevant bleeding. After multivariable adjustment, depression (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.09-2.93) and frailty (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.55-5.17) were significantly associated with clinically relevant bleeding.

Conclusions: Social isolation, depression, and frailty were prognostic of dying or experiencing clinically relevant bleeding during the coming year in older men and women with AF. Assessing geriatric impairments merits consideration in the care of these patients.