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Science Summary

A study has shown that patients with Dementia are more likely to get implanted pacemakers. Researchers at University of Pittsburg School of Medicine says that people with dementia are more likely to get implanted pacemakers for heart rhythm irregularities, such as atrial fibrillation, than people who don't have cognitive difficulties. Nicole Fowler Ph.D, a health service researcher at Pitt School of Medicine, and her team examined data from 33 Alzheimer's coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. Data from 16,000 people who had baseline at least one follow up visit at an ADC were reviewed. 48.5% of participants had no cognitive impairment, 21.3% had a mild cognitive impairment, and 32.9% had dementia. Researcher found that participants with cognitive impairment were older and more likely to be male, have ischemic heart disease, and a history of stroke. Rates of atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure were similiar among the groups. Participants who had dementia before assessment for a new pacemaker were 1.6 times more likely to receive a pacemaker compared to participants without cognitive impairment. Dr. Fowler states this was a bit surprising because aggressive interventions might not be appropiate for this population, whose lives are limited by a severely disabling disease and that future research should explore how doctors, patients, and families come to make the decision to get a pacemaker.

References:

University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences. "Dementia patients more likely to get implanted pacemakers, says study." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 July 2014. .


 * Journal Reference**:
 * 1) Nicole R. Fowler, Kim G. Johnson, Jie Li, Charity G. Moore, Samir Saba, Oscar L. Lopez, Amber E. Barnato. **Use of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment**. //JAMA Internal Medicine//, 2014; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.3450

The above story is based on materials provided by **University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences**. //Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.//
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