People With Alzheimer’s More Likely to Get Pacemakers

People who have Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are
more likely to get pacemakers than their peers with similar health
issues but without dementia, a new study shows. The study raises
questions about whether patients with Alzheimer’s may be getting overly
aggressive medical care in some cases.


Pacemakers are typically implanted in the chest in people with heart
rhythm disorders like atrial fibrillation, or A-fib. The metal devices,
about the size of a pocket watch, keep the heart beating in a normal
rhythm and can help to avert a potentially fatal heart attack.


But as with all medical procedures, pacemaker implantation carries
side effects and risks, which must be carefully weighed against benefits
when deciding whether someone should receive a pacemaker. Some question
the appropriateness of implanting devices like pacemakers in frail and
elderly individuals who have advanced dementia or other serious medical
problems, when quality of life is poor.


For the study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine analyzed health records from 16,245 people who had been treated
at least once at one of 33 Alzheimer’s treatment centers in the United
States. Patient records were assessed from 2005 to 2011.


At the start, about a third of the study participants had been given a
diagnosis of dementia; 21 percent had mild cognitive impairment, a form
of memory loss that sometimes progresses to dementia; and 48 percent
had no problems with thinking and memory. Rates of atrial fibrillation
and congestive heart failure were similar among the groups.


The researchers found that the likelihood of getting a pacemaker was
lowest for those who had no memory problems, and highest for those with
dementia. The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a journal from the American Medical Association.


"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, even after clinical factors
were taken into account," said Nicole Fowler, the study leader, who is
now at Indiana University. "This was a bit surprising, because
aggressive interventions might not be appropriate for this population,
whose lives are limited by a severely disabling disease.”


People with mild cognitive impairment were 1.2 times more likely to
get a pacemaker than those with no memory problems. There was no
difference among the groups on whether someone received an implantable
cardiac defibrillator, another device that can re-set the heart beat if
it stops beating.


The study raises interesting questions about the kind of medical care
that those with Alzheimer’s or other serious cognitive problems
receive. Pacemakers can be lifesaving devices and are appropriate in
many cases. But family members and other caregivers, as well as doctors
who treat dementia patients, should carefully weigh whether a pacemaker
is the right option for a patient with dementia.


“Future research should explore how doctors, patients and families
come to make the decision to get a pacemaker," Dr. Fowler said. “The
risks and benefits of device implantation should be weighed carefully by
patients with cognitive impairment, family members, and clinicians
given the potential of these devices to have an impact on the quantity
and quality of life,” the authors note.





Source: Nicole R. Fowler, PhD. Jie Li, M.S., Charity G. Moore, Ph.D.,
et al: Use of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices in Older Adults
With Cognitive Impairment. (Research letter.) JAMA Internal Medicine, July 21, 2014.

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