Department Visit Rates and Subsequent Hospital Admissions for Atrial Fibrillation from 1993 to 2004
Study objective
Atrial fibrillation is a significant public health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent. The clinical epidemiology of US emergency department (ED) visits for atrial fibrillation is uncertain. This study seeks to describe recent trends in ED visits for atrial fibrillation.
Methods
ED visits with a primary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation were analyzed using data from the US National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, 1993 to 2004.
Results
During the 12-year period, there were approximately 2.7 million (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4 to 3.0 million) ED visits for atrial fibrillation in the United States, and the population-adjusted visit rate increased from 0.6 to 1.2 per 1,000 US population (P for trend=.02). Similarly, the absolute number of visits increased 88%, from 300,000 (95% CI 209,000 to 392,000) in 1993 to 1994 to 564,000 (95% CI 423,000 to 705,000) in 2003 to 2004. Approximately 64% (95% CI 59% to 69%) of these patients were admitted to the hospital, a rate that remained constant throughout the 12-year period (P for trend=.73).
