18 Jul 2025 • Analyzing adults with chronic, ≥moderate-to-severe aortic regurgitation (AR) reveals that atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly heightens mortality risk.

AF was linked to a 2-fold increase in all-cause death after adjusting for age, comorbidities, left ventricular volumes, left atrial size, and pulmonary pressures (HR up to 2.21).

The study also included substantial rates of hypertension (46%) and bicuspid aortic valve (36%).

With nearly one in six AR patients affected, the findings underscore the potential need to treat AF not merely as a comorbidity but as a possible trigger for earlier surgical intervention.

Source: BMJ Journals | Read Full Story