Atrial fibrillation requiring urgent medical care. Approach and outcome in the various departments of admission. Data from the atrial Fibrillation/flutter Italian REgistry (FIRE).

AF/atrial flutter represent a significant burden on the health care system with a higher than expected hospitalization rate from the emergency room. One out of three discharged patients is not in sinus rhythm. There is still a wide gap between evidence-based medicine and real practice in the treatment of patients with AF.