The burden of atrial fibrillation on emergency medical services: A population-based cohort study.
Jocasta Ball; Emily Mahony; Emily Nehme; Aleksandr Voskoboinik; Joseph Hogarty; Luke P Dawson; Mark Horrigan; David M Kaye; Dion Stub; Ziad Nehme
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing burden on healthcare resources, despite improvements in prevention and management. AF is a common cause of hospitalisation, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) use. However, there is a paucity of data describing the burden of AF on EMS. We aimed to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of patients presenting with AF to EMS using a large population-based sample. Consecutive attendances for AF in Victoria, Australia (January 2015-June 2019) were included if patients had a diagnosis of "AF" or "arrhythmia" with AF on electrocardiogram. Data were individually linked to emergency, hospital, and mortality records. Of 2,613,056 EMS attendances, 16,525 were a first attendance for AF and linked to hospital records. Median (IQR) age was 76 (67,84) years (43% female). Seventy-eight percent had high thromboembolic risk (CHA<sub>2</sub>DS<sub>2</sub>-VASc score ≥ 2), and 72% had a heart rate ≥ 100 bpm. Forty-two percent of patients received no treatment by paramedics and 99.4% were transported to hospital. Fifty-three percent were discharged from ED. Median length of hospital stay was 2 days. Of 2542 cases reattended for AF, 19% occurred within 30 days, with increased odds for females and those of low socioeconomic status. Overall, 24% died during the study period, 12% within 30 days. Increasing age, heart failure, stroke, COPD, and low socioeconomic status increased the odds of 30-day mortality. EMS utilisation for AF is common and associated with frequent reattendance. Further studies are required to investigate novel pathways of care to reduce AF burden on healthcare systems.
Journal | INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY |
ISSN | 1874-1754 |
Published | 29 Jul 2024 |
Volume | |
Issue | |
Pages | 132397 |
DOI | 10.1016/j.ijcard.2024.132397 |
Type | Journal Article |
Sponsorship |