Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Septic Shock: A One-Year Observational Pilot Study

Özet

Objective: The negative effect of sepsis on the myocardium affects its electric functionality. This study aims to evaluate the incidence of atrialfibrillation (AF) in patients with septic shock, and the mortality rate of patients with AF versus patients that maintained sinus rhythm (SR).Methods: This is a one-year observational prospective pilot study. It was conducted at the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care ofPisa University. Patients with septic shock were enrolled in this study. They were divided in two groups based on the occurrence of AF while in theICU. Data were collected at admission and after 72 hours, and the data consisted of anamnesis, vital parameters, blood results and severity score.Results: Out of 27 patients, 9 developed AF during the first 72 hours. At admission and at 72 hours, SOFA was statistically higher in the patientswith AF (p=0.012 and p=0.002, respectively). In the AF group, the overall mortality was 66.7%, whereas, it was 11.1% (p=0.006) in the patientswith SR. Age, rhythm and noradrenaline dosage were univariate predictors of total mortality.Conclusion: In patients with septic shock, AF has a high incidence, and it correlated with a worse outcome. Patients with higher SOFA scoreare at a greater risk of developing arrhythmia.