Critical care medicine
-
Critical care medicine · Dec 2016
Randomized Controlled TrialAtrial Fibrillation Following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest and Targeted Temperature Management-Are We Giving It the Attention it Deserves?
Atrial fibrillation has been associated with increased mortality in the general population and mixed populations of critical ill. Atrial fibrillation can also affect patients during post-cardiac arrest care. We sought to assess the prognostic implications of atrial fibrillation following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, including relation to the level of targeted temperature management. ⋯ Atrial fibrillation was independently associated with higher mortality, primarily driven by cardiovascular causes and multiple-organ failure, and may thus identify a vulnerable subpopulation. Whether treatment to prevent atrial fibrillation is associated with an improved prognosis remains to be established.