BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a risk factor for stroke, especially when accompanied by other high-risk cardiovascular predictors. The Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) Study was a multicenter comparison of high-risk patients with AF who were randomized to either a sinus rhythm control or a rate control strategy. METHODS Physicians were encourag...

BACKGROUND Hyperthyroidism is one of the common causes of atrial fibrillation (AF), and AF is associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to thromboembolism. The sinus rhythm maintenance rate of hyperthyroidism-induced AF patients after conversion to sinus rhythm is excellent. The present study was undertaken to assess the efficacy and safety of bepridil, a multichannel blocker, in pa...

The patients reported form part of a larger series of 60 patients with Stokes-Adams disease treated with artificial pacemakers, which is being reported in full elsewhere. The series contained 32 men between the ages of 39 and 81, and 28 women between 27 and 76. There was a bias towards the older age-groups with 53 per cent of the men and 62 per cent of the women being over 65 years. No patients...

BACKGROUND The predilection of the left atrial appendage (LAA) for thrombus formation has long been known. METHODS AND RESULTS We prospectively studied the two-dimensional echocardiographic and Doppler patterns of LAA function in 82 patients by transesophageal echocardiography. In the 63 patients in sinus rhythm, LAA area was measured during LAA diastole at the onset of the electrocardiograph...

INTRODUCTION Stunning of the left atrium and atrial appendage is a well known but not fully clarified phenomenon observed during the cardioversion of atrial fibrillation regardless of the cardioversion method attempted. AIM To assess the effects of propafenone and amiodarone on left atrium and left atrial appendage contractility. METHODS Forty patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (2...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE We are reporting the characteristics of 9 patients with left atrial macroreentrant tachycardia, an arrhythmia not well studied in man. PATIENTS AND METHOD Mean age was 60 years and 7 were men. Tachycardia was spontaneous in 6 and induced in 3. Two had no heart disease, 2 sick sinus syndrome, 3 aortic prosthesis, 2 hypertension, 1 cardiomyopathy and 1 chronic bronchiti...

BACKGROUND Studies in animal hearts have shown shortening of the atrial effective refractory period (AERP) and loss of the relation between the AERP and heart rate after prolonged periods of atrial fibrillation (AF). The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate atrial electrophysiology after a long period of sinus rhythm in patients who had longer lasting recurrent AF that was successfully t...

Administration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in sinus rhythm identifies dual atrioventricular node physiology (DAVNP) in 75% of patients with inducible slow/fast AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). The incidence of DAVNP following termination of AVNRT with ATP is unknown. Incremental doses of ATP (10-60 mg) were administered, first in sinus rhythm and then during tachycardia induced at el...

The objective of this article is to review supraventricular arrhythmias emphasized the importance of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its novel therapeutic approach in dogs. Supraventricular arrhythmias include disturbances of impulse formation at sinus node, atria and junctional area or alterations of impulse conduction within the chamber above ventricles. Among those supraventricular arrhythmias,...

BACKGROUND Accurate echocardiographic parameters to predict maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are poorly defined. This study was conducted to assess the atrial myocardial properties during AF through myocardial velocity, strain rate, and strain and to compare their prognostic value in maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with lone AF with standard transthorac...