title: Incidence of early adverse events surrounding direct current cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation. A cohort study of practices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the incidence of early adverse events surrounding direct current (DC) cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation in an unselected patient cohort and to describe and analyse these complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study over a three-month period (February, March and April 2000). Outcome measures included all serious adverse events during the hospitalisation for DC cardioversion. Six hundred and eighty-four DC cardioversion were performed on 659 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of adverse events was 4.4% including 1.3% bradycardia, 0.3% ventricular arrhythmia, 0.3% QT increase, 1% serious haemorrhages, 0.4% death and 1.2% miscellaneous adverse events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The perceived tolerance to DC cardioversion in atrial fibrillation should be amended with the 4.4% serious early adverse events.
authors: Department of Pharmacology University, Lille, France.
authors: Laurence
authors: L
authors: Guédon-Moreau
authors: Jean-Louis
authors: JL
authors: Gayet
authors: Michel
authors: M
authors: Galinier
authors: Yves
authors: Y
authors: Frances
authors: Hervé
authors: H
authors: Lardoux
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Libersa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008133:Long QT Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome