Rapid access arrhythmia clinic for the diagnosis and management of new arrhythmias presenting in the community: a prospective, descriptive study.
Heart
; 90(8): 877-81, 2004 Aug.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15253957
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether a rapid access approach is useful for the evaluation of patients with symptoms suggestive of a new cardiac arrhythmia. DESIGN: Prospective, descriptive study. SETTING: Secondary care based rapid access arrhythmia clinic in West London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Patients referred by their general practitioner or the emergency department with symptoms suggestive of a new cardiac arrhythmia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of patients with a newly diagnosed significant arrhythmia. Number of patients with diagnosed atrial fibrillation. Number of eligible, moderate, and high risk patients treated with warfarin. RESULTS: Over a 25 month period 984 referrals were assessed. The mean age was 55 years (range 20-90 years) and 56% were women. The median time from referral to assessment was one day. A significant cardiac arrhythmia was newly diagnosed in 40% of patients referred to the RAAC. The most common arrhythmia was atrial fibrillation, with 203 new cases (21%). Of these, 74% of eligible patients over 65 were treated with warfarin. Other arrhythmias diagnosed were supraventricular tachycardias (127 (13%)), conduction disorders (43 (4%)), and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (21 (2%)). Vasovagal syncope was diagnosed for 53 patients (5%). The most frequent diagnosis was symptomatic ventricular and supraventricular extrasystoles (355 (36%)). CONCLUSION: A rapid access arrhythmia clinic is an innovative approach to the diagnosis and management of new cardiac arrhythmias in the community. It provides a rapid diagnosis, stratifies risk, and leads to prompt initiation of effective treatment for this population.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Arritmias Cardíacas
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Unidades de Cuidados Coronarios
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Atención Ambulatoria
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Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
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Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Límite:
Adult
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Aged
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Aged80
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Heart
Asunto de la revista:
CARDIOLOGIA
Año:
2004
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido