Impact of the 2023 Turkiye Earthquake on the Incidence of Hospitalized Acute Atrial Fibrillation and Ventricular Tachycardia

Abstract

Background: Natural disasters impose substantial psychological and physiological stress, which may serve as powerful triggers for cardiac arrhythmias. Previous earthquakes worldwide have been linked to a rise in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, yet data from Türkiye are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the devastating 2023 Türkiye Earthquake on the incidence of hospitalized acute atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular tachycardia (VT). Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis at a tertiary referral hospital that served as a major regional care center following the earthquake. Hospital admissions for acute AF and VT were compared across two consecutive two-month periods: pre-earthquake (December 6, 2022–February 6, 2023) and post-earthquake (February 6–April 6, 2023). Adult patients aged ≥18 years with electrocardiographically confirmed AF or VT requiring hospitalization were included. Results: A significant increase was observed in AF hospitalizations post-earthquake (11 vs. 24 cases; 0.35% vs. 0.75%; p=0.029), while VT admissions showed a non-significant rise (11 vs. 14 cases; p=0.56). Demographics and comorbidities were comparable between groups. Post-earthquake AF patients had shorter hospital stays. In both cohorts, hospitalizations were shorter following the earthquake. Conclusion: Hospitalizations for acute AF significantly increased after the 2023 Turkiye Earthquake, likely due to stress-related arrhythmogenesis. Although VT admissions also rose, the difference was not statistically significant.

Keywords

• Earthquake
• atrial fibrillation
• ventricular tachycardia
• arrhythmia

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of a tertiary care hospital (Decision No: 2436, dated April 6, 2023). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

2023 Türkiye Depreminin Hastaneye Yatırılan Akut Atriyal Fibrilasyon ve Ventriküler Taşikardi İnsidansı Üzerindeki Etkisi

Abstract

Giriş:% Doğal afetler, kardiyak aritmiler için güçlü tetikleyiciler olarak işlev görebilecek önemli psikolojik ve fizyolojik stres yaratır. Dünya çapında daha önce meydana gelen depremler, kardiyovasküler morbidite ve mortalitede artışla ilişkilendirilmiştir, ancak Türkiye'den elde edilen veriler sınırlıdır. Bu çalışma, yıkıcı 2023 Türkiye Depremi'nin hastaneye yatırılan akut atriyal fibrilasyon (AF) ve ventriküler taşikardi (VT) insidansı üzerindeki etkisini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Deprem sonrasında büyük bir bölgesel bakım merkezi olarak hizmet veren üçüncü basamak bir sevk hastanesinde tek merkezli retrospektif bir analiz gerçekleştirdik. Akut AF ve VT için hastaneye yatışlar, deprem öncesi (6 Aralık 2022-6 Şubat 2023) ve deprem sonrası (6 Şubat-6 Nisan 2023) olmak üzere iki ardışık iki aylık dönemde karşılaştırıldı. Elektrokardiyografi ile doğrulanmış AF veya VT tanısı almış ve hastaneye yatış gerektiren 18 yaş ve üzeri yetişkin hastalar çalışmaya dahil edildi. Sonuç: Deprem sonrası AF nedeniyle hastaneye yatışlarda anlamlı bir artış gözlenirken (11'e karşı 24 vaka; %0,35'e karşı %0,75; p=0,029), VT nedeniyle hastaneye yatışlarda anlamlı olmayan bir artış görüldü (11'e karşı 14 vaka; p=0,56). Demografik özellikler ve eşlik eden hastalıklar gruplar arasında benzerdi. Deprem sonrası AF hastalarının hastanede kalış süreleri daha kısaydı. Her iki kohortta da deprem sonrası hastaneye yatış süreleri daha kısaydı. Tartışma: Akut AF nedeniyle hastaneye yatışlar, muhtemelen strese bağlı aritmogeneze bağlı olarak 2023 Türkiye Depremi'nden sonra önemli ölçüde arttı. VT nedeniyle hastaneye yatışlar da artmış olsa da, aradaki fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi.

Keywords

• Deprem
• atriyal fibrilasyon
• ventriküler taşikardi
• aritmi

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma için etik onay, üçüncü basamak bir hastanenin Etik Kurulu'ndan (Karar No: 2436, 6 Nisan 2023) alınmıştır. Çalışma, Helsinki Deklarasyonu ilkelerine uygun olarak yürütülmüştür.

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