CARING FOR THE CRITICALLY ILL PATIENT ONLINE FIRST Incident Stroke and Mortality Associated With New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Hospitalized With Severe Sepsis

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AF) IS one of the most common arrhythmias among critically ill patients. Previous studies have demonstrated that 6% to 20% of patients with severe sepsis develop newonset AF, suggesting that severe sepsis may be a predisposing factor for new-onset AF. Although chronic AF is a major contributor to long-term disability and mortality, the relationship of new-onset AF in severe sepsis to prognosis is unknown. Although new-onset AF appears to be relatively common in individuals with severe sepsis, data are sparse to risk stratify or prognosticate these often complicated and critically ill patients. Small, single-center studies suggest that new-onset AF is associated with higher mortality and prolonged hospitalization during severe sepsis. However, a population-based assessment of the adverse outcomes associated with new-onset AF that occurs in the context of severe sepsis has not yet been undertaken. Using a database of individuals hospitalized with severe sepsis identified via California State Inpatient Database