Is severe sepsis associated with new-onset atrial fibrillation and stroke?

摘要

Despite the prevalence of arrhythmia, controversy persists regarding the effect of atrial fibrillation on clinical outcome, with studies showing both increased mortality associated with atrial fibrillation11-12 and no association with mortality.10-13-14 When treating a patient with severe sepsis and new-onset atrial fibrillation, the goals of the intensive care unit clinician are likely short-termcontrolling heart rate or performing cardioversion if the patient is hemody-namicallyomstable. Initiating anticoagulation to prevent long-term sequelae in a patient who may already be coagulo-pathic poses a challenging risk-benefit assessment. Better data are needed to refine the understanding of the implication of this common complication in the setting of sepsis.