Sex‐Based Differences in Atrial Fibrillation: Epidemiology, Prehospital Care, Hospital Management, and Outcomes

03 Jul 20264 min read0 viewsJournal Feed

GIST (Key Takeaways)

Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 15, Issue 13 , July 7, 2026. Background. Atrial fibrillation is a leading cause of emergency medical services (EMS) use, but sex differences across prehospital, hospital, and postdischarge care remain poorly characterized.
Methods. We performed a population‐based linked cohort study of adults attended by EMS for atrial fibrillation in Victoria, Australia, from January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2019. EMS records were linked to emergency department, hospital admission, and death data sets.
Multivariable models evaluated sex differences in care and outcomes. Results. Among 16 415 atrial fibrillation EMS attendances, 9329 (56.8%) were in women, median age 76 years.
Age‐standardized attendance rates were higher in women (77 versus 57 per 100 000 person‐years; incidence rate ratio, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.33–1.38]), especially in metropolitan areas and adults aged ≥70 years. Women had lower odds of prehospital treatment (56% versus 62%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.85 [95% CI, 0.79–0.92]) and mobile intensive care paramedic attendance (aOR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.78–0.93]). Presentation‐conditioned aspirin and appropriate analgesia did not differ by sex.