Atrieflimmer - kardiologiens Askepot

40.000 people in Denmark live with atrial fibrillation. It is the leading cause of hospital admission in patients with cardiac dysrhythmia and accounts for frequent use of the health care services. Because its overall prevalence increases with age, it is expected that the number of patients with atrial fibrillation will double over the next 50 years. Despite the significant impact of atrial fibrillation on health care and the population, it has been generally considered a benign disorder and somehow overlooked. By describing findings from studies documenting the actual impact of atrial fibrillation on the patient, this paper exposes how some patients live with their illness and describes important areas of nursing of patients with atrial fibrillation.