Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart problem that causes an irregular heartbeat. It can cause the heart to beat more rapidly and reduce the heart's ability to pump blood around the body efficiently, causing heart failure. It also increases the risk of blood clots forming inside the heart. These clots may then be pumped out of the heart, through the blood vessels, to other parts of the body. This can cause strokes if the clots spread to the brain. AF is a common problem outside an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where treatment is based on good, evidence-based guidelines designed to reduce the risk of problems like heart failure or strokes. Around 10% of patients treated in ICU develop atrial fibrillation as a complication of their underlying illness. Some patients will recover their normal heart rhythm before leaving the ICU, often with the help of some medical treatments. It is not known whether these patients will get AF again after leaving the ICU, or when this is likely to happen. It is also unknown whether patients who avoid AF whilst on the ICU may still be at high risk of developing it after they leave. This study will identify patients on the ICU who have no previous record of atrial fibrillation. These patients will be monitored whilst on the ICU to identify those who develop AF. Those patients who develop new onset AF will be monitored on the ward after leaving the ICU to see which patients have AF at this point. The heart monitoring will be repeated once the patients leave hospital, again to identify whether they have atrial fibrillation. Some studies suggest that AF during critical illness causes a long-term risk of recurrent AF and AF associated complications such as heart failure, stroke, and death. To understand how to minimise these risks in intensive care patients, we need to know how which patients who develop atrial fibrillation whilst in an ICU go on to have recurrent atrial fibrillation in hospital and in the community. These patients may benefit from interventions to reduce long term adverse events such as anticoagulation to reduce stroke risk.
Age range
16 Years
Sex
ALL
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Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Proportion of eligible patients who are willing to participate in the study
Timeframe: 3 months post hospital discharge
Proportion of patients who are compliant with the study protocol
Timeframe: 3 months post hospital discharge
Proportion of patients lost to follow up
Timeframe: 3 months post hospital discharge