Early management of atrial fibrillation in general surgical in-patients.

Background: It has been suggested that new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in non-cardiac surgical patients should trigger a thorough search for other morbidity. We reviewed our unit's management of new-onset AF to determine whether this target is achieved.

Methods: Patients under the care of a general surgeon who developed new-onset AF during their inpatient stay were identified from a prospectively maintained database of surgical in-patients.