Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26286550›Full record

ArticleCritical care (London, England)2015

Pre-existing atrial fibrillation and risk of arterial thromboembolism and death in intensive care unit patients: a population-based cohort study.

Jacob Gamst, Christian Fynbo Christiansen, Bodil Steen Rasmussen, Lars Hvilsted Rasmussen, Reimar Wernich Thomsen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Critical care (London, England), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jacob GamstDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Olof Palmes Allé 43-45, DK-8200, Aarhus N, Denmark. jacob.gamst@rn.dk.
Christian Fynbo ChristiansenDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Olof Palmes Allé 43-45, DK-8200, Aarhus N, Denmark. cfc@clin.au.dk.
Bodil Steen RasmussenDepartment of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Aalborg University Hospital, Hobrovej 18-22, DK-9000, Aalborg, Denmark. bodil.steen.rasmussen@rn.dk.
Lars Hvilsted RasmussenAalborg Atrial Fibrillation Study Group, Aalborg University Hospital Science and Innovation Centre, Søndre Skovvej 15, DK-9000, Aalborg, Denmark. lhr@adm.aau.dk.
Reimar Wernich ThomsenDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Olof Palmes Allé 43-45, DK-8200, Aarhus N, Denmark. rwt@clin.au.dk.
Aalborg University Hospital · DKAarhus University Hospital · DK

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPre-existing atrial fibrillation (AF) may worsen prognosis in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

methodsIn a cohort study (2005-2011) including all patients with first-time ICU admissions in Denmark (n=57,110), we compared patients with and without pre-existing AF and estimated absolute risks and relative risks (RRs) of arterial thromboembolism and death within 30 days and 365 days following admission, using Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariate regression analyses. We analysed the prognostic impact of AF within strata of patient age, sex, coexisting cardiac diseases, and ICU therapies.

resultsAmong ICU patients, 5065 (9%) had pre-existing AF. Compared with patients without AF, those with AF were older (median age 75 vs. 62 years) and had more comorbidity. The risk of arterial thromboembolism was 2.8% in patients with AF and 2.0% in non-AF patients at 30 days, and 4.3% and 2.9%, respectively, at 365 days. Corresponding RRs were 1.41 crude and 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93-1.40) adjusted at 30 days, and 1.50 crude and 1.20 (95% CI 1.02-1.41) adjusted at 365 days. Thirty-day mortality was 27% in patients with pre-existing AF and 16% in non-AF patients (crude RR 1.67, adjusted RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.99-1.10). Corresponding mortality estimates at 365 days were 40.9% and 25.4%, respectively (crude RR 1.61, adjusted RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.07). In stratified analyses, pre-existing AF increased mortality in ICU patients aged <55 years (adjusted RR at 30 days 1.73, 95% CI 1.29-2.32; adjusted RR at 365 days 1.34, 95% CI 1.06-1.69) and in ICU patients treated with mechanical ventilation (adjusted RR at 30 days 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.20, adjusted RR at 365 days 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04-1.15). Analyses stratified by sex and coexisting cardiac diseases yielded adjusted RRs close to 1.

conclusionsIn ICU patients, pre-existing AF was associated with modestly increased risk of arterial thromboembolism when adjusted for the substantially higher age and comorbidity levels in patients with AF, whereas there was no overall association with mortality. In ICU patients aged <55 years and in those treated with mechanical ventilation, AF predicted increased mortality.

Indexed as

Intensive Care UnitsAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge FactorsAtrial FibrillationCase-Control StudiesCohort StudiesDenmarkFemaleHospital MortalityHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID26286550
PMCPMC4543470
OpenAlexW2166770687

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.