Assessment of the Framingham risk factors among ED patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation.

Study Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is often first diagnosed in the emergency department (ED) and accounts for nearly 1% of all emergency department (ED) visits. Our objective was to assess the Framingham Heart Study risk score for AF development in ED patients with newly diagnosed AF.

Methods: We systematically reviewed the electronic medical records of ED patients with newly diagnosed AF between August 2005 and July 2008. We measured the frequency of the Framingham Heart Study predictors and calculated each patient's risk score.

Results: During the 3-year study period, 914 patients had 1228 ED visits. New AF was diagnosed in 296 (32%) patients. Among these patients, 107 (36%) were female, 127 (43%) had prior ED visits since 2003, 189 (64%) were taking hypertension medications and 170 (57.4%) had previous electrocardiograms with measurable PR intervals. The median PR interval was 166 ms (151 to 180) and 60% of available PR intervals were 160 ms or greater. The median (interquartile range) age, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure were 66 years (53-77), 27 (23-31), and 134 mm Hg (118-151), respectively. Median risk score was 7 (3-9) indicating high predicted risk. Heart failure and cardiac murmurs were previously diagnosed in 45 (15%) and 32 (11%) of these patients, respectively.

Conclusions: The Framingham risk factors for AF are commonly encountered among ED patients with newly diagnosed AF. The ED might provide an opportunity to identify patients at high risk for AF and refer them for primary prevention interventions.