Acute admissions with atrial fibrillation in a British multiracial hospital population
Br J Clin Pract
; 51(2): 91-6, Mar. 1997.
Artigo
em Inglês
| MedCarib
| ID: med-2008
Biblioteca responsável:
JM3.1
Localização: JM3.1; R31.B68
ABSTRACT
To assess the clinical characteristics and management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), we performed a prospective survey of all acute medical admission over six months to our hospital. Of 7,451 such admissions, 245 had AF (110 male, 135 female; mean age 74.4 years). Of these, 213 were Caucasian, 10 black/Afro-Caribbean and 22 Asian. Complete data were available for 185 patients. Of these, 82 had newly diagnosed AF, 83 had previous chronic AF and 20 had paroxysmal AF. The main presenting features were dyspnoea, stroke and syncope. A history of ischaemic heart disease was present in 64, heart failure in 46, hypertension in 51 and rheumatic heart disease in 13, while 31 had a previous stroke. Chest x-ray showed cardiomegaly and pulmonary oedema in 121 patients, but was normal in 28. Echocardiography showed poor cardiac function in eight patients and enlarged atria in five. Only 28 percent of those with previously diagnosed AF were on anticoagulation. Of the newly diagnosed patients, only 18 percent were started on anticoagulants. Cardioversion was attempted or planned in only 6 percent. The primary diagnosis on discharge was heart failure in 45, stroke in 24 and myocardial infarction in 12. AF remains a common arrhythmia among acute medical admissions and is commonly associated with heart failure and a high mortality. There is still a reluctance to start anticoagulant therapy or to perform cardioversion in such patients.(AU)
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Coleções:
Bases de dados internacionais
Base de dados:
MedCarib
Assunto principal:
Fibrilação Atrial
/
Hospitalização
Tipo de estudo:
Estudo de etiologia
/
Estudo observacional
/
Fatores de risco
Limite:
Adulto
/
Idoso
/
Feminino
/
Humanos
/
Masculino
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Br J Clin Pract
Ano de publicação:
1997
Tipo de documento:
Artigo