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The short-term impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on cardiac surgery hospitalizations has been previously reported in cohorts of various sizes, but results have been variable. Using the 2005-2014 National Inpatient Sample, we identified all adult hospitalizations for cardiac surgery using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification as any procedure code and AF as any diagnosis code. We estimated the impact of AF on inpatient mortality, length of stay (LOS), and cost of hospitalization using survey-weighted, multivariable logistic, accelerated failure-time log-normal, and log-transformed linear regressions, respectively. Additionally, we exact-matched AF to non-AF hospitalizations on various confounders for the same outcomes. A total of 1,269,414 hospitalizations were noted for cardiac surgery during the study period. Coexistent AF was found in 44.9% of these hospitalizations. Overall mean age was 65.6 years, 40.9% were female, mean LOS was 11.6 days, and inpatient mortality was 4.5%. Stroke rate was lower in AF hospitalizations (1.8% vs 2.1%, p<0.001). Mortality was lower in the AF (3.9%) versus the non-AF (5%) group (exact-matched OR or emOR=0.48, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.80, p<0.001; 987 matched pairs, n=2423), with similar results after procedural stratification: isolated valve replacement/repair (emOR=0.38, p<0.001), isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (emOR=0.33, p<0.001), and CABG with valve replacement/repair (emOR=0.55, p<0.001). A 12% increase was seen in LOS in the AF subgroup (exact-matched time ratio=1.12, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.14, p<0.001) among hospitalizations which underwent valve replacement/repair with or without CABG. Hospitalizations for cardiac surgery which had coexistent AF were found to have lower inpatient mortality risk and stroke prevalence but higher LOS and hospitalization costs compared with hospitalizations without AF., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© American Federation for Medical Research 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Atrial fibrillation-flutter (AF) has been described in 10% to 24% of patients after heart transplant (HT). Data on AF hospitalizations after HT are limited to single-center experiences. To bridge this gap, we performed an analysis of admissions for AF in HT patients from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) years 2000 to 2014. All hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of 427.31 or 427.32 and V42.1 were used to identify hospitalizations with AF and previous HT respectively. Among a total of 211,961 HT related hospitalizations, 1,304 (0.62%) (955 males, 349 females, mean age 59 years, median CHA 2 DS 2 Vasc score 2 [Interquartile range 1 to 3]) were admitted with a primary diagnosis AF. Most hospitalizations were nonelective (80.17%). In-hospital mortality was 2.3% and the mean length of stay (LOS) was 3.7 days. Among those patients who were discharged from hospital, 85 % were discharged to home with self-care. Most commonly reported secondary diagnoses included hypertension (57.9%), diabetes (33%), renal failure (31.3%), and congestive heart failure (22%). The event rates for ischemic stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding in the same admission with the AF hospitalization were low (1.2% and 1.2% respectively). Cardioversion was performed in 37% and ablation in 11.2% of admissions. The adjusted median cost of hospitalization was $6478.7 (IQR $3561.8 to $12352.3) and did not change significantly during the study period. AF is a relatively infrequent cause of hospitalization among HT recipients. The number of hospitalizations, ablations, cardioversions, disposition, LOS, and cost of hospitalization for AF remained stable during the study period., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: We examined the effect of AF a commonly encountered arrhythmia with significant morbidity on mortality following a motor vehicle accident (MVA) related hospitalization., Methods: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried to identify patients with AF (ICD-9 CM 427.31) and MVA (ICD-9 CM E810.0-E819.9), considered separately and together, from 2003 through 2012. Baseline characteristics were identified and multilevel mixed model multivariate analysis was employed to verify the impact of AF on in-patient mortality in survivors., Results: Of an estimated 2,978,630 MVA admissions reported, 79,687 (2.6%) hospitalizations also had a diagnosis of AF. The in-hospital mortality was 2.6% in MVA alone and 7.6% in MVA and AF. In multivariate analysis, after adjustment for age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), the Trauma Mortality Prediction Model (TMPM), and hospital characteristics, AF was independently associated with in-hospital mortality [Odds ratio (OR) 1.52, confidence interval (CI) 1.41-1.69, P value<0.0001]. In patients with MVA and AF, increasing age, CCI, and TMPM were associated with higher mortality. Female gender is associated with lower mortality (OR 0.84, CI 0.81-0.88, P -0.0016). Most patients with MVA and AF had a CHADS2 score of 2 (34.6%). Mortality and transfusion rates were higher in MVA and AF patients compared to patients with MVA alone across all CHADS2 scores., Conclusion: In patients with a MVA, the presence of AF is an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has emerged as a popular procedure. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there exist differences or disparities in ablation utilization across gender, socioeconomic class, insurance, or race. Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2000 to 2012), we identified adults hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of AF by ICD 9 code 427.31 who had catheter ablation (ICD 9 code-37.34). We stratified patients by race, insurance status, age, gender, and hospital characteristics. A hierarchical multivariate mixed-effect model was created to identify the independent predictors of AF ablation. Among an estimated total of 3,508,122 patients (extrapolated from 20% Nationwide Inpatient Sample) hospitalized with a diagnosis of AF in the United States from the year 2000 to 2012, 102,469 patients (2.9%) underwent catheter ablations. The number of ablations was increased by 940%, from 1,439 in 2000 to 15,090 in 2012. There were significant differences according to gender, race, and health insurance status, which persisted even after adjustment for other risk factors. Female gender (0.83 [95% CI 0.79 to 0.87; p <0.001]), black (0.49 [95% CI 0.44 to 0.55; p <0.001]), and Hispanic race (0.64 [95% CI 0.56 to 0.72; p <0.001]) were associated with lower likelihoods of undergoing an AF ablation. Medicare (0.93, 0.88 to 0.98, <0.001) or Medicaid (0.67, 0.59 to 0.76, <0.001) coverage and uninsured patients (0.55, 0.49 to 0.62, <0.001) also had lower rates of AF ablation compared to patients with private insurance. In conclusion we found differences in utilization of catheter ablation for AF based on gender, race, and insurance status that persisted over time., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the commonest arrhythmias in clinical practice and has major healthcare and economic implications. It is a growing epidemic with prevalence all set to double to 12 million by 2050. After adjusting for other associated conditions, hypertension confers a 1.5- and 1.4-fold risk of developing AF, for men and women respectively. Furthermore, in patients with AF, the presence of hypertension has a cumulative effect on the risk of stroke. Growing evidence suggests reversal or attenuation of various structural and functional changes predisposing to AF with the use of antihypertensive medications. Randomized trials have shown major reduction in the risk of stroke and heart failure with blood pressure reduction. However, such trials are lacking in AF patients specifically. The Joint National Committee-8 guidelines have not addressed the threshold or goal BP for patients with known AF. Furthermore, "J-shaped" or "U-shaped" curves have been noted during hypertension management in patients with AF with published data demonstrating worse outcomes in patients with strict BP control to <110/60 mmhg similar to coronary artery disease. In this review, we outline the available literature on management of hypertension in patients with AF as well as the role of individual anti-hypertensive medications in reducing the incidence of AF Fig. 1., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia worldwide and the most common arrhythmia leading to hospitalization. Due to a substantial increase in incidence and prevalence of AF over the past few decades, it attributes to an extensive economic and public health burden. The increasing number of hospitalizations, aging population, anticoagulation management, and increasing trend for disposition to a skilled facility are drivers of the increasing cost associated with AF. There has been significant progress in AF management with the release of new oral anticoagulants, use of left atrial catheter ablation, and novel techniques for left atrial appendage closure. In this article, we aim to review the trends in epidemiology, hospitalization, and cost of AF along with its future implications on public health., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)