A review of more than 86,000 discharges with a primary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) suggests that patients admitted on weekends appear to be less likely to undergo a cardioversion procedure and more likely to die resulting from AF when compared with patients admitted on weekdays. Cardioversion procedures were performed in 7.6% of AF patients during weekend admissions, compared with 16.2% for those being admitted during weekdays. The in-hospital mortality odds ratio was 1.23 for AF patients admitted during weekends.
Abstract: American Journal of Cardiology, July 15, 2012.
