Estimating the incidence of atrial fibrillation in single‐chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients

Abstract

Atrial arrhythmias are associated with major adverse cardiovascular events. Recent reports among implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients have demonstrated a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), predominantly in dual‐chamber recipients. AF incidence among patients with single‐chamber systems (approximately 50% of all ICDs) is currently unknown. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of new‐onset AF among single‐chamber ICD patients by observing the rates of new atrial tachycardia (AT)/AF among a propensity scoring matched cohort of dual‐chamber ICD patients from the PainFree SmartShock technology study, to better inform screening initiatives.