Objective: To assess the frequency of new-onset cardiac arrhythmias among patients admitted in surgical intensive care unit as well as associated risk factors.
Study Design: Retrospective observational study.
Place and Duration of Study: Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from Jan 2018 to Dec 2019.
Methodology: The medical record numbers of all patients admitted in surgical intensive care unit were obtained from Surgical intensive care unit case log entries and reviewed. Patients` and healthcare providers` identification were kept confidential. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 19.
Results: Only 13/1076 patients included in the study had cardiac arrhythmias during their stay in Surgical intensive care unit. Among all patients with arrhythmias (n=13), atrial fibrillation was the most common type of arrhythmia 7 (53.8%). The study found higher occurrence of arrhythmias among the patients in the age category of 66 years or above 8 (4.6%) and when compared to younger patients with age categories 18-40 years 2 (0.3%) and 41-65 years 3 (0.3%) respectively (p-value<0.05). Similarly, arrhythmias were higher among patients who had relatively prolong intensive care unit stay and post-operative status as the primary cause of intensive care unit admission.
Conclusion: Occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias is relatively low among patients admitted to surgical intensive care patient population. Patients age (>65 years), prolong intensive care unit stay, post-operative status are positively associated with development of cardiac arrhythmias among critically ill patients admitted in surgical intensive care unit.
Definition, Risk Factors and Outcome of Prolonged Surgical Intensive Care Unit Stay
