Evaluation of the treatment of valvular and non-valvular atrial fibrillation and its relationship with adverse events in patients admitted to the Emergency Department of a third level hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia, and despite the significant advances in its treatment, it continues to be one of the main causes of cerebrovascular accident, heart failure, sudden death, and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the world. In Colombia, there are very few registers that help to determine its prevalence and epidemiological pattern. Objective: To describe the treatment of the patients admitted to the Emergency Department with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, as well as to establish the prevalence, epidemiology, and adverse events associated with the treatment. Materials and method: Excel programs were used for the organisation of the data, SPSS version 23, for the analysis. Results: During the study period, a total of 105 patients were admitted into the Emergency Department with a diagnosis of atrial defibrillation. The mean age was 67.8 years and the majority (58%) were males. Arterial hypertension and heart failure were comorbidities most associated with the atrial fibrillation. More than one-third (35%) of the patients had suffered some cardio-embolic complication, mainly a stroke, and 12% were admitted due to complications arising from anticoagulation. Monitoring heart rate and anticoagulation was the preferred strategy in the majority of patients. As regards anticoagulant management, 45% were treated with warfarin, and 37% with direct oral anticoagulants. Three cases of major bleeding were documented in patients on warfarin, and none in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants. Conclusion: Atrial fibrillation continues to be one of the main causes in the Emergency Department, as well as a significant cause of cerebrovascular accident. Arterial hypertension and heart failure were the most associated comorbidities. The most used therapeutic strategy was monitoring of heart rate and the anticoagulation. Furthermore, there was an increasing percentage of patients on treatment with direct oral anticoagulants.