Trends in Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Hospitalized with an Acute Coronary Syndrome

The American Journal of Medicine: November 1, 2012

Atrial fibrillation is common among patients with cardiovascular disease and is a frequent complication of the acute coronary syndrome. Data are needed on recent trends in the magnitude, clinical features, treatment, and prognostic impact of preexisting and new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome.

Methods

The study population consisted of 59,032 patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome at 113 sites in the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events Study between 2000 and 2007.

Results

A total of 4494 participants (7.6%) with acute coronary syndrome reported a history of atrial fibrillation and 3112 participants (5.3%) developed new-onset atrial fibrillation during their hospitalization. Rates of new-onset atrial fibrillation (5.5%-4.5%) and preexisting atrial fibrillation (7.4%-6.7%) declined during the study. Preexisting atrial fibrillation was associated with older age and greater cardiovascular disease burden, whereas new-onset atrial fibrillation was closely related to the severity of the index acute coronary syndrome. Read more