title: Prediction of atrial and ventricular fibrillation complicating myocardial infarction from admission data: a prospective study.
abstract: This study set out to examine prospectively two logistic formulae based on admission clinical data to predict ventricular or atrial fibrillation complicating acute myocardial infarction. A prospective study of 87 consecutive patients with acute transmural myocardial infarction was conducted. The formula for predicting ventricular fibrillation from the diastolic blood pressure, degree of ST-segment elevation, and QTc had a sensitivity of 93%, specificity of 83%, and a predictive value for an abnormal test of 62% (13 of 14 patients who developed ventricular fibrillation were identified). The formula for predicting atrial fibrillation from the age of the patient, a history of heart failure, systolic blood pressure, and four electrocardiographic parameters had a sensitivity of 78%, specificity of 85%, and a predictive value of 67% (14 of 18 patients identified). Our study shows that patients with myocardial infarction who are liable to develop ventricular or atrial fibrillation can be identified on admission from simple clinical data.
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D010343:Patient Admission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*