Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of Acute Ischemic Stroke with Atrial Fibrillation Among Patients Admitted to Tertiary Care Hospitals in Amhara Regional State: Retrospective-Cohort Study

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the leading cause of a surge in hospital expenses for the treatment of strokes. However, evidence regarding clinical features and survival of patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) plus AF in Ethiopia is lacking. We assess clinical characteristics, survival, and predictors of mortality of patients with acute ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation among patients admitted to Tertiary Care Hospitals in Amhara regional state. A retrospective cohort study was done on patients diagnosed with AIS who received care at Tibebe Ghion and Felege Hiwot hospitals from November 2018 to November 2021. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Cox regression analysis was used to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to identify survival rates and mean survival time. The hazard ratio was used as a measure of the strength of the association and statistical significance was declared at p-value