Cangemi R, et al. - Given that atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most often seen cardiovascular complications in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), researchers sought to analyze predisposing clinical factors correlated with AF in CAP patients. The study sample consisted of 545 patients consecutively hospitalized for CAP. Investigators found that 9.5% of patients experienced a new episode of AF within 24 to 72 hours from admission during the in-hospital stay. CAP patients with AF had a higher indexed left atrial area (LAAi) and a higher proportion of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy vs non-AF patients. Independent predictors of AF occurrence during the early stages of pneumonia were the history of paroxysmal AF, enlarged LAAi, and concentric left ventricular hypertrophy.