Tachycardia Tied to Higher Mortality in Patients With Cancer
Rates of all-cause mortality in patients with cancer increase in the presence of unexplained sinus tachycardia, the results of a new study show. Researchers presented the findings at the Advancing Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient conference (https://www.acc.org/about-acc/press-releases/2019/01/25/14/19/tachycardia-in-cancer-patients-may-signal-increased-mortality-risk) held January 2019 in Washington, DC.
Researchers studied data from more than 622 patients and found mortality rates two to three times higher in those with an unexplained heart rate higher than 100 beats per minute on three or more clinic visits within a year of their cancer diagnosis. After 10 years of follow-up, 62% of patients with unexpected tachycardia had died, compared with 23% of patients with normal heart rhythms. The results were consistent across two different models that adjusted for various confounding factors.
Prescribing physical activity such as short, 5- to 10-minute walks may help improve cardiovascular health.
What can nurses do when identifying tachycardia in a patient assessment? The researchers said that identifying whether it has an underlying cause, such as dehydration or infections, is essential. If it’s unexplained, prescribing physical activity such as short, 5- to 10-minute walks may help improve cardiovascular health.
For strategies for talking with your patients about physical activity, visit ONS’s Get Up, Get Moving webpage (https://www.ons.org/make-a-difference/quality-improvement/get-up-get-moving).