Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017:2017:8046240.
doi: 10.1155/2017/8046240. Epub 2017 Jun 15.

Factors Associated with the Incidence and Severity of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Adult Critically Ill Patients

Péricles A D Duarte  1 , Gustavo Elias Leichtweis  2 , Luiza Andriolo  3 , Yasmim A Delevatti  3 , Amaury C Jorge  4 , Andreia C Fumagalli  5 , Luiz Claudio Santos  6 , Cecilia K Miura  7 , Sergio K Saito  5
Affiliations

Factors Associated with the Incidence and Severity of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Adult Critically Ill Patients

Péricles A D Duarte et al. Crit Care Res Pract. 2017.

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: Acute Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is common in critically ill patients, with significant morbidity and mortality; however, its incidence and severity in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) from low-income countries are poorly studied. Additionally, impact of vasoactive drugs on its incidence and severity is still not understood. This study aimed to assess epidemiology and risk factors for acute new-onset AF in critically ill adult patients and the role of vasoactive drugs.

Method: Cohort performed in seven general ICUs (including cardiac surgery) in three cities in Paraná State (southern Brazil) for 45 days. Patients were followed until hospital discharge.

Results: Among 430 patients evaluated, the incidence of acute new-onset AF was 11.2%. Patients with AF had higher ICU and hospital mortality. Vasoactive drugs use (norepinephrine and dobutamine) was correlated with higher incidence of AF and higher mortality in patients with AF; vasopressin (though used in few patients) had no effect on development of AF.

Conclusions: In general ICU patients, incidence of new-onset AF was 11.2% with a high impact on morbidity and mortality, particularly associated with the presence of Acute Renal Failure. The use of vasoactive drugs (norepinephrine and dobutamine) could lead to a higher incidence of new-onset AF-associated morbidity and mortality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Incidence of AF according to the use of vasoactive drugs (VAD).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mortality in patients with AF, according to the use of vasoactive drugs (VAD) immediately before the arrhythmia.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ROC curve of the relationship between Acute Renal Failure (ARF) and incidence of AF (a) and between ARF and mortality in patients with AF (b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Reinelt P., Karth G. D., Geppert A., Heinz G. Incidence and type of cardiac arrhythmias in critically ill patients: a single center experience in a medical-cardiological ICU. Intensive Care Medicine. 2001;27(9):1466–1473. doi: 10.1007/s001340101043. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shaver C. M., Chen W., Janz D. R., et al. Atrial fibrillation is an independent predictor of mortality in critically ill patients. Critical Care Medicine. 2015;43(10):2104–2111. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000001166. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cavaliere F., Volpe C., Soave M. Atrial fibrillation in intensive care units. Current Anaesthesia and Critical Care. 2006;17(6):367–374. doi: 10.1016/j.cacc.2006.12.002. - DOI
    1. Yoshida T., Fujii T., Uchino S., Takinami M. Epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of new-onset atrial fibrillation in critically ill: a systematic review. Journal of Intensive Care. 2015;3(1, article 19) doi: 10.1186/s40560-015-0085-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boos C. J., Lip G. Y. H., Jilma B. Endotoxemia, inflammation, and atrial fibrillation. American Journal of Cardiology. 2007;100(6):986–988. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2007.04.039. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources