• Griffith Hughes and Aaron Schneir.
• Department of Bioengineering, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
• J Emerg Med. 2022 Mar 1; 62 (3): 390392390-392.

BackgroundPatients often present to the emergency department with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. There is increasing recognition that, in a subset of patients, certain clinical triggers mediated via the autonomic nervous system may precipitate episodes of atrial fibrillation. Although identification of these triggers may be critical for prevention of future episodes, they may be overlooked by treating physicians.Case ReportWe describe an otherwise healthy 64-year-old physician who presented on two separate occasions to the emergency department with atrial fibrillation. He was electrically cardioverted successfully into normal sinus rhythm and discharged without medications both times. The patient ultimately recognized that both episodes occurred in the setting of strenuous exercise followed soon after by ingestion of cold water. Since avoiding this sequence he has not had any episodes of atrial fibrillation in the ensuing 7 years. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Emergency physicians often encounter patients who present with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, some of whom may have autonomic triggers or trigger sequences that precipitated it. Although our single case report cannot prove that the sequence described caused the atrial fibrillation, we hope the case can serve to highlight the increasing awareness that, in a subset of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, identification of specific triggers could be critical in prevention and should be sought.Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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