Patient and clinical details
Patient gender was almost evenly dispersed; 51% (n=77) of patients were
male. The mean age was 71±12.4 years (median 73; 27-96). Electrical
cardioversion was performed in the ED on 92 patients (61%) and the
cardiology department on 59 (39%). Most patients’ chief complaints were
similar between the groups. However, “shortness of breath” was more
common in patients cardioverted in the cardiology department (p=0.012).
Also, “discovering AF as an incidental finding on a routine ECG” was
experienced by seven (8%) ED patients as opposed to no cardiology
department patients (p=0.043). Demographic details and chief complaints
of the cohort comparing those who were cardioverted in the ED versus
those converted in the cardiology department are described in Table 1.
Clinical details between the groups were also similar. Vital signs
showed no significant differences except for heart rate, which was a
mean nine beats per minute higher in those patients cardioverted on the
cardiology ward as opposed to those treated in the ED (p=0.044). Past
medical history, as well as lab results, showed no differences between
the groups. Troponin is described as “positive” or “negative” rather
than as a numerical value since the hospital utilized different methods
of troponin measurement during the study period. The term “negative”
denotes a negative troponin value for the employed sensitivity test. The
highest troponin observed in the entire cohort was a troponin T of 130
ng/L. This patient was successfully cardioverted in the cardiology
department with no adverse effects. (Table 1)