Principal atrial fibrillation discharges by the new ACC/AHA/ESC classification.

Background: The American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and European Society of Cardiology Board (ACC/AHA/ESC) 2001 guidelines for management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) include a new classification system consisting of 4 categories: first-detected episode; recurrent paroxysmal (self-terminating); recurrent persistent (requiring cardioversion); and permanent. The frequency of hospital discharges within these categories has not been reported.

Methods: The new classification system was applied to 135 consecutive hospital discharges with a principal diagnosis of AF.