Why the study?
Emergency department visits for AF are increasing with US admission rates exceeding 60%, highlighting the need to review management recommendations, medication considerations, and strategies to optimize throughput and reduce admissions for recent-onset nonvalvular AF.
This review outlines current recommendations for managing recent-onset nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in the emergency department, focusing on rate and rhythm control strategies to reduce hospital admissions.
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May inform ED protocols for recent-onset NVAF; leaves open prospective validation of admission reductions.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia managed in the emergency department (ED). Visits to the ED for a presentation of AF have been increasing in recent years, with an admission rate that exceeds 60% in the United States and contributes substantially to health care costs. Recent-onset AF-defined as symptom onset less than 48 hr-is a common ED presentation for which rate control or acute electrical or pharmacological cardioversion may be appropriate treatment modalities depending on patient-specific circumstances. The focus of this review is to discuss the current recommendations regarding the management of recent-onset nonvalvular AF in the ED, discuss medication administration considerations, and identify implementation strategies in the ED to optimize throughput and reduce hospital admissions.
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Weant et al. (2020) studied this question.
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