Author(s)

S. Della Ayed, S. Ayed, R. Atig, N. Tilouche, H. Ben Sik Ali, R. Gharbi, M. Fekih Hassen, S. Elatrous

Service de Réanimation Médicale, EPS Taher Sfar Mahdia, Mahdia, Tunisie.

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and the risk factors of new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in a single medical ICU. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a 10 bed single medical ICU over a period of 18 months. All patients with sinus rhythm admitted in the medical ICU were included. Those presenting with any arrhythmia on admission, having a PACEMAKER or having undergone a recent cardiothoracic surgery were excluded. Results: Of the 377 patients included on the study, atrial fibrillation occurred in 26 patients (7%). Patients who developed AF were older, had higher severity scores on admission, and required significantly more fluids, catecholamine, and mechanical ventilation. They had a longer ICU and hospital LOS. ICU mortality was significantly higher in AF patients. Five inde- pendent risk factors of AF were identified by multivariate analysis: advanced age, the presence of COPD, sepsis, car- diogenic shock, and hypoxemia. Conclusion: AF occurs in approximately 7% of medical critically ill patients and is associated with age, a history of COPD, the presence of sepsis, cardiogenic shock and hypoxemia. AF occurs in more critically ill patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Atrial Fibrillation; Medical ICU; Prevalence; Risk Factors

S. Ayed, S. Atig, N. Tilouche, H. Ali, R. Gharbi, M. Hassen and S. Elatrous, "New Onset of Atrial Fibrillation in a Medical ICU: Prevalence and Risk Factors," International Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol. 3 No. 7, 2012, pp. 582-586. doi: 10.4236/ijcm.2012.37105.