Key result
Atrial fibrillation during hospitalization for sepsis was not associated with increased inpatient mortality compared to patients without atrial fibrillation (OR 0.527, 95% CI 0.243-1.143, p=0.103).
Why the study?
Atrial fibrillation is common in critically ill patients and sepsis is linked with cardiac arrhythmias, but the outcome of AF in sepsis admissions required evaluation.
Does atrial fibrillation increase inpatient mortality in adult patients admitted with sepsis or septic shock?
Cohort (n=113)
No
Does atrial fibrillation increase inpatient mortality in adult patients admitted with sepsis or septic shock?
Odds Ratio: 0.527 (95% CI 0.243–1.143)
Absolute Event Rate: 29.8% vs 44.6%
p-value: p=0.103
In this prospective cohort study, the occurrence of atrial fibrillation in patients with sepsis or septic shock was not significantly associated with increased inpatient mortality or prolonged hospital stay.
AF not associated with higher sepsis mortality; should not yet change practice and warrants prospective confirmation.
Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most frequent arrhythmias in critically ill patients. Sepsis is a major cause of inpatient mortality and it has been associated with cardiac arrhythmias. The objective of this study was to study the outcome of atrial fibrillation in patients who are admitted with sepsis. Methods This is a prospective, single-center cohort study of patients admitted to the Medicine Department between June 1, 2019, and November 30, 2019. The inclusion criteria were adult patients with sepsis and septic shock. In this study, 113 patients were enrolled and outcomes were compared between the group that developed atrial fibrillation during the hospital stay and the group without atrial fibrillation. Results There were 57 (50.4%) patients with AF including 23 (20.4%) who also had a prior history. Total inpatient mortality was 42 (37.2%), of which 17 patients (40.5%) had AF. AF was not found to be associated with higher mortality or increased length of hospital stay (p-value 0.103 and 0.858, respectively). Conclusion AF was not found to be a cause of higher mortality in patients with sepsis or septic shock. There is a need for larger-scale studies to find out the causes of high inpatient mortality in sepsis and the need for local guidelines regarding the management of AF in critically ill patients.
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Afzal et al. (2021) conducted a cohort in Sepsis and septic shock (n=113). Atrial fibrillation vs. Without atrial fibrillation was evaluated on Inpatient mortality (OR 0.527, 95% CI 0.243-1.143, p=0.103). Atrial fibrillation during hospitalization for sepsis was not associated with increased inpatient mortality compared to patients without atrial fibrillation (OR 0.527, 95% CI 0.243-1.143, p=0.103).
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