Introduction:  The objective was to evaluate the profile of atrial fibrillation (FA) patients in the Emergency Department (ED) of a public university hospital in Brazil. Method: a cohort of patients admitted to the ED of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre from March 2016 to April 2017, was followed until discharge or hospital death. Data were collected from the usual emergency care. Variables related to the therapeutic failure and those related to the non-use of the anticoagulant were evaluated. Results: 205 patients with mean age of 74 years were analyzed, 53% were men. Ischemic stroke (27%), HF (20%), Sepsis (12%) and Acute Coronary Syndrom (7%), were the leading causes of emergency demand. Hemorrhagic complications occured in 4% of the patients. Forty patients (20%) had acute AF. The mean CHA2DS2VASC of the population was 5±2 and 97% had CHA2DS2VASC>2. Patients with chronic AF on anticoagulation accounted for 34% of the population. Of these, 12% were in the therapeutic range. Patients with chronic AF with indication of anticogulation but without prescription of anticoagulant correspond to 65% of the population. Variables related to the non-use of the anticoagulant ran in descending order: absence of medical prescription (85%), previous bleeding with need of medical attention (8%), social condition (3%) and risk of fall (1%). Of the patients with chronic AF, 21% did not know they had AF. Twenty percent of all the patients died at the hospital. Conclusion: Medical initiatives should be implemented to improve anticoagulation rates in eldery patients with AF and to identify early medical causes of death during hospitalization .

Reasons for emergency care of patients with Atrial Fibrillation