Press Releases: National
June 4, 2010
Kaiser Permanente Researchers Creating Largest Ever Cohort to Study the Experience of People with Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente researchers in Northern and Southern California have launched the largest survey/research study of its kind to better understand the experience of people newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.
Listen to interview where Kaiser Permanente researchers Albert Yuh-Jer Shen, MS, MD, FACC and Alan S. Go, MD discuss atrial fibrillation and how it is one of the most potent risk factors for ischemic stroke, the leading cause of disability and third leading cause of death in the U.S.
Atrial fibrillation — a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat — is the most common type of arrhythmia in adults. It occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals cause the atria, the two upper chambers of the heart, to contract very fast or irregularly. This causes blood to pool in the atria and not be pumped completely into the ventricles, the heart’s two lower chambers. As a result, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don't work together as efficiently as they should, according to the researchers.
They explain that often people who have atrial fibrillation may not feel symptoms. However, atrial fibrillation is one of the most potent risk factors for ischemic stroke, the leading cause of disability and third leading cause of death in the U.S. More than 2.2 million Americans currently have recognized atrial fibrillation and this number is expected to increase at least 2.5-fold over the next 50 years, with more than 50 percent of affected individuals aged 80 years or older, according to the researchers.
The Kaiser Permanente Atrial Fibrillation Cohort for Healthcare Evaluation and Risk Assessment (or ARCHER) study, funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, will look at a prospective cohort of members in Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California who were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation between 2006–2009 to examine the contemporary evaluation, management and outcomes of adults with atrial fibrillation. The ARCHER study will combine information from a patient survey and detailed information from Kaiser Permanente electronic health records.
“While greater adherence to proven therapies and development of newer treatments to prevent atrial fibrillation-related complications will benefit those currently diagnosed with the condition, the ARCHER study will help us identify more accurately which atrial fibrillation patients are at high risk for stroke and bleeding. It will also help us better personalize treatment for those who need it,” said the study’s co-lead investigator, Alan S. Go, MD, director of the Kaiser Permanente Comprehensive Clinical Research Unit of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.
“Given the expected increase in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation, there is an urgent need to know which patients will benefit most from various treatment strategies in order to reduce the substantial societal burden associated with atrial fibrillation,” said Kristi Reynolds, PhD, MPH, a scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, Calif.
A unique strength of the ARCHER study is the collaboration between the researchers of Kaiser Permanente Southern and Northern California to conduct the largest survey and follow-up study to date of adults diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in the current treatment era. This study is also leveraging a common electronic health record system (Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®) and other clinical and administrative databases to efficiently conduct this large-scale cohort study.
Researchers are contacting approximately 27,000 adult Kaiser Permanente members in California who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. In their initial survey, researchers will gather data about family medical history, certain health behaviors, and selected medications patients may be taking.
Once survey data is gathered, Kaiser Permanente researchers will combine this information with other information from the electronic health records to evaluate the types of testing, treatment and clinical outcomes they experience.
The research is voluntary and answers are confidential. Reports using this research information will always describe whole groups of members, never individuals. Answers to survey questions never become part of the medical record, and will never be given to health care providers or health plan administrators.
About Kaiser Permanente Division of Research
he Kaiser Permanente Division of Research conducts, publishes, and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and the society at large. It seeks to understand the determinants of illness and well-being and to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care. Currently, DOR’s 500-plus staff is working on more than 250 epidemiological and health services research projects. For more information, visit www.dor.kaiser.org.
About the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation
The Department of Research and Evaluation conducts high quality, innovative research into disease etiology, prevention, treatment and care delivery. Investigators conduct epidemiology, health sciences, and behavioral research as well as clinical trials. Areas of interest include diabetes and obesity, cancer, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, aging and cognition, pregnancy outcomes, women’s and children’s health, quality and safety, and pharmacoepidemiology. Located in Pasadena, Calif., the department focuses on translating research to practice quickly to benefit the health and lives of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members and the general population. For more information, visit www.kp.org/research.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.6 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.
