AUTHOR=Wang Xiaoxu , Luo Yi , Xu Dan , Zhao Kun 

TITLE=Effect of Digoxin Therapy on Mortality in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: An Updated Meta-Analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.731135

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.731135

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Background: Whether digoxin is associated with increased mortality and a reduction in readmission for atrial fibrillation (AF) remains controversial. We aimed to assess the clinical effects of digoxin in patients with AF. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library were systematically searched to identify eligible studies comparing the outcomes of patients with AF taking digoxin with those not taking digoxin. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled. Results: A total of 29 studies with 621,478 patients were included. Digoxin use was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in all patients with AF (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.13–1.22, P < 0.001), especially in patients without heart failure (HF) (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.11–1.47, P < 0.001). There was no significant association between digoxin and mortality in patients with AF and HF (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.99–1.14, P = 0.110). In all patients with AF, regardless of concomitant HF, digoxin use was associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) (HR 1.40, 95% CI 1.23–1.60, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.08–1.50, P < 0.001), but digoxin use had no significant association with all-cause hospitalization (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.92–1.39, P = 0.230). Conclusion: We conclude that digoxin use is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and SCD, but it does not reduce readmission for AF, regardless of concomitant HF. Digoxin has a neutral effect on all-cause mortality in patients with AF with concomitant HF.