Atrial Fibrillation in Covid-19: A Descriptive Study of Incidence, Mortality and Related Factors

Abstract This scholarly project determined the relationship of atrial fibrillation (AF) occurrences in COVID-19, as it is the most frequent arrhythmia in the U.S. and is driven by inflammatory pathology. In COVID-19 positive patients with AF occurrences understanding the relationship between these conditions could help identify patients with poor prognosis, higher morality, and other factors earlier in the hospital course.This single-center scholarly project was a retrospective descriptive chart review to determine the relationship between AF and COVID-19 over a 6-month timeline in Chattanooga, TN. Of the 565 hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients included, 82 (14.5%) had AF occurrences. A higher proportion of patients had AF occurrences in the non- ICU setting (87.5%) versus the ICU setting (12.5%). Of those in the ICU, 7 (100%) expired versus those in the non-ICU setting (22.4%). Of those with AF, 61% survived the hospitalization compared to 39% that expired, p < 0.001. Those with AF occurrences (median 6 days) had longer length of stay (LOS) than those without (median 4 days). Those of male gender, older age, history of arrhythmias (other than AF), history of AF, acute kidney injury, low eosinophil levels, and received antibiotics during hospitalization had higher odds of having AF occurrences while hospitalized for COVID-19. These results add to the limited research on AF occurrences in hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients in the U.S.Keywords: atrial fibrillation, af, afib, covid-19, coronavirus, incidence, mortality