Nurses can carry out cardioversion in people with atrial fibrillation in a day surgery unit, saving acute hospital beds and junior doctors' time. Auditing a newly introduced, nurse led electrical cardioversion service in London, Currie and colleagues (p 892) found that, among 143 patients treated, 92% went back into sinus rhythm. Three had to be admitted to hospital, but for less than 24 hours; none had serious complications. Waiting times were reduced from 27 weeks to eight weeks.
Figure 1.
Credit: MICHAEL DONNE/SPL