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Objective: To summarize data on the prevalence/incidence, risk factors and prognosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS)., Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science were searched to identify all published studies providing relevant data through August 23, 2020. Random-effects meta-analysis method was used to pool estimates., Results: We included 109 studies reporting data from a pooled population of 8 239 364 patients. The prevalence rates were 5.8% for pre-existing AF, 7.3% for newly diagnosed AF, and 11.3% for prevalent (total) AF, in patients with ACS. Predictors of newly diagnosed AF included age (per year increase) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.05), C-reactive protein (aOR: 1.49), left atrial (LA) diameter (aOR: 1.08), LA dilatation (aOR: 2.32), left ventricular ejection fraction <40% (aOR: 1.82), hypertension (aOR: 1.87), and Killip ˃ 1 (aOR: 1.85), p < .01 in all analyzes. Newly diagnosed AF was associated with an increased risk of acute heart failure (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 3.20), acute kidney injury (aHR: 3.09), re-infarction (aHR: 1.96), stroke (aHR: 2.15), major bleeding (aHR: 2.93), and mortality (aHR: 1.80) in the short term; and with an increased risk of heart failure (aHR: 2.21), stroke (aHR: 1.75), mortality (aHR: 1.67), CV mortality (aHR: 2.09), sudden cardiac death (aHR: 1.53), and a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (aHR: 1.54) in the long term (beyond 1 month), p < .05 in all analyzes., Conclusion: One in nine patients with ACS has AF, with a high proportion of newly diagnosed AF. AF, in particular newly diagnosed AF, is associated with poor short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with ACS., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To summarize data on the rates and predictors of left atrial thrombus/left atrial appendage thrombus (LAT/LAAT) detection by transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before electrical cardioversion (ECV) or catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF)., Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science Core Collection were searched to identify all studies providing relevant data and published by October 7, 2020. A random-effects meta-analysis method was used to pool effect size estimates., Results: A total of 85 studies were included, reporting data from 56 660 patients with AF. In patients undergoing CA and ECV, the pooled prevalence of LAT/LAAT was 1.8% and 7.5% in those not on oral anticoagulation (OAC), 1.8% and 5.5% in those taking OAC, and 1.3% and 4.9% in case of adequate OAC, respectively. According to the type of OAC, the prevalence was 2.0% and 7.6% for vitamin K antagonist, 1.3% and 3.5% for direct oral anticoagulant. Predictors of LAT/LAAT detection were nonparoxysmal AF (odds ratio [OR]: 3.6, 95% confidence interval: 2.4-5.2), hypertension (OR: 2.9, 1.2-7.0), previous stroke (OR: 3.0, 1.6-5.63), heart failure (OR: 4.3, 2.7-6.8), and CHADS 2 score ≥2 (OR: 3.3, 1.9-5.8) for patients undergoing CA; and heart failure (OR: 2.8, 1.3-6.2) and the CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score (OR: 2.55, 1.5-4.5) for those undergoing ECV., Conclusion: The prevalence of LAT/LAAT in AF patients undergoing ECV or CA varies widely, mainly due to differences in patient risk profiles and OAC types. Further research should determine whether the predictors of LAT/LAAT detection identified by this study could be used to select patients who require preprocedural TEE., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)