Prognostic Impact of Atrial Fibrillation Pattern and other Clinical Biomarkers in Patients with Stroke Admitted in a Tertiary Hospital in Cebu City from 2015-2022

Background. The effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) patterns and clinical biomarkers among patients with AF-related
stroke is still controversial.

Objectives. The objective of this study is to determine the association of the pattern of AF and markers on routine blood tests with the outcome of patients after an AF-related stroke.

Methods. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with stroke and AF admitted in a tertiary hospital in Cebu City from 2015-2022. Patients’ baseline characteristics, laboratory tests, ECG, and radiologic data were collected. Descriptive statistics such as mean and frequency were computed. The Kaplan–Meier method and the log-rank test were used to calculate the incidence time. The Cox regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with survival. A stepwise regression technique was used in model building.

Results. The mortality rate of patients with AF-related stroke was 0.02. A Kaplan Meier survival estimate shows that patients with paroxysmal AF have better survival. Upon model building of variables, age, red cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet count, low density lipid cholesterol (LDL-C), and pattern of AF were predictive of mortality in patients with AF-related stroke.

Conclusions. Among AF-related stroke patients admitted at a tertiary hospital in Cebu City, pattern of AF, age, RDW, NLR, platelet count, and LDL-C were associated with mortality. The parameters associated with increased mortality could be easily assessed using an ECG, CBC, and lipid profile. These are all readily available and cost-efficient.