Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T16:50:38.245Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

3.1.8 - Atrial Fibrillation in the Intensive Care Unit

from Section 3.1 - Cardiac and Circulatory Failure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
Get access

Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. Atrial fibrillation is common in the intensive care unit and may occur in the structurally normal heart.

  2. 2. Treatment goals consist of rhythm control, rate control and anticoagulation, as well as addressing the underlying cause.

  3. 3. Transoesophageal echocardiography is needed to exclude left atrial clot before electrical or chemical cardioversion if atrial fibrillation is for >48 hours or other risk factors for stroke prevail.

  4. 4. Electrical cardioversion is the safest approach where pre-excitation from an accessory pathway occurs.

  5. 5. Ventricular arrhythmias are most likely associated with structural heart disease and may be immediately life-threatening.

Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
, pp. 122 - 125
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References and Further Reading

Bersten, A, Soni, N (eds). Oh’s Intensive Care Manual, 6th edn. Edinburgh: Butterworth Heinemann; 2009.Google Scholar
Caldeira, D, David, C, Sampaio, C. Rate versus rhythm control in atrial fibrillation and clinical outcomes: updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Cardiovasc Dis 2012;105:226–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
January, CT, Wann, LS, Alpert, JS, et al. 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS guideline for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation: executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation 2014;130:2071–104. Erratum in: Circulation 2014;130:e270–1.Google Scholar
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2014. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronisation therapy for arrhythmias and heart failure. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta314/chapter/1-GuidanceGoogle Scholar
Sibley, S, Muscedere, J. New-onset atrial fibrillation in critically ill patients. Can Respir J 2015;22:179–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×