IntroductionDirect current cardioversion (DCCV) is considered as the most effective treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolism, and DCCV may increase this risk. The current recommendation is, therefore, to anticoagulate for at least 3 weeks before DCCV and 4 weeks after the procedure.MethodsA retrospective study of patients referred for elective DCCV as treatment for AF in Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was performed to compare the safety and efficacy of dabigatran with warfarin in this setting.ResultsDuring a 12-month period, 129 patients were referred for DCCV for the treatment of AF and 107 patients received DCCV. Fifty-four patients were anticoagulated with dabigatran, 42 patients with warfarin, and 11 patients with other direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with choice of agent determined following an informed discussion with the patient. The average number of days between the date of referral for DCCV and the date of DCCV for patients who were on dabigatran was 51 days, while for warfarin, this was 82 (P = 0.001). The proportion of cancelation and rescheduling for warfarin patients was 21.4%, while for dabigatran, this was 5.5%. Patients were reviewed 6–20 weeks after DCCV; the success rate of DCCV for dabigatran patients was 61%, whilst for warfarin patients, this was 52%. The success rate went up to 69% for patients who received DCCV within 45 days of referral (P = 0.165).ConclusionThis retrospective study supports clinical experience that DCCV is more likely to be successful when there is a shorter duration between the onset of AF and the date of DCCV, and shows that the use of dabigatran in comparison with warfarin facilitates earlier DCCV.

In patients with diabetes and acute coronary syndrome, hyperglycemia during hospitalization predicted a worse outcome in terms of the rates of in-hospital complications and in-hospital mortality. Hyperglycemia at the time of admission was also associated with higher rate of complications particularly at the time of presentation.

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Introduction: A specialist weight management service provides an effective treatment option for severe obesity; however, there are limited data exploring the baseline predictors of response and effect on HbA1c following engagement with the service.Methods: We used prospective data from the regional weight management services within the Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Tier 3 Obesity Programme. Data were available for 249 patients referred to the service. T-tests were used for univariate baseline characteristics of those with and without 5% weight loss after engagement with the service. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of weight loss at 12 months.Results: A total of 309 patients were referred to the Tier 3 adult weight management service, of which 249 (80.6%) participated in the programme and had at least one follow-up. The median age of the study population was 46 years (range 36–55) and consisted of 66% females with a median baseline body mass index of 44 kg/m2 (range 42–45). The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was 31%, hypertension was 35%, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease was 34% and osteoarthritis was 29%. The median baseline weight on enrolment in the programme was 126 kg (range 115–138). During the follow-up period of 1 year, the median weight fell to 120.5 kg at 3 months, 119.6 kg at 6 months, 117.7 kg at 9 months and 117.5 kg at 12 months. The median HbA1c fell from a baseline of 60.25 mmol/mol to 54.4 mmol/mol during the follow-up period. Sixty-four patients had a baseline HbA1c of >53 mmol/mol (7% HbA1c), which fell to <53 mmol/mol in 21% of patients during the follow-up period. In the logistic regression model, higher age (OR 1.05, p=0.0001), type 2 diabetes (OR 2.54, p=0.002) and dyslipidaemia (OR 2.21, p=0.03) were independently associated with more than 5% weight loss at 12 months follow-up.Conclusion: Engagement with Tier 3 adult weight management is associated with significant weight loss and improvement in glycaemic control in a large proportion of patients at one year. Higher age, diabetes and dyslipidaemia at baseline are independent predictors of weight loss on the Tier 3 weight management service.

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