The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) increases with age. As the population ages, the burden of AF increases. AF is associated with an increased incidence of mortality, stroke, and coronary events compared to sinus rhythm. AF with a rapid ventricular rate may cause a tachycardia-related cardiomyopathy. Immediate direct-current (DC) cardioversion should be performed in patients with AF and ...

This work introduces for the first time the application of wavelet entropy (WE) to detect episodes of the most common cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF), automatically from the electrocardiogram (ECG). Given that AF is often asymptomatic and usually presents very brief initial episodes, its early automatic detection is clinically relevant to improve AF treatment and prevent risks for ...

BACKGROUND A histopathological assessment of left atrial appendages (LAA) resected during surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF) was made, with the aim of improving the prediction of postoperative AF recurrence. METHODS AND RESULTS This clinicopathological study involved 57 surgical cases of valvular AF and 34 age- and sex-matched control autopsy cases with a history of sinus rhythm....

Congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation (AF) are two important and growing problems in medicine and cardiology. Both conditions often coexist and complicate each other's management. Two therapeutic strategies are available for patients with AF and congestive heart failure: the first aims at restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm, whereas the second focuses exclusively on optimizing ven...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and has been identified as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke and thromboembolic events. Catheter ablation has become an established rhythm control therapy in patients with highly symptomatic drug-refractory AF. The definition of ablatio...

The mechanism underlying thrombosis in atrial fibrillation (AF) is not yet clearly understood. Oncostatin M (OSM), as a member of IL-6 family, is involved in atherosclerosis-mediated thrombosis. The present study hypothesizes that OSM and its downstream factors play a role in thrombogenesis in AF.The specimens of left atrial appendages collected from patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis who ...

Heart rhythm disturbances become of special importance when patients reach a senior age. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia among the old age groups, and its impact on morbidity and mortality becomes of paramount significance. In this population, AF is responsible for significant amount of thromboembolic cerebrovascular events, especially for disabling and fatal strokes. ...

Surgical ablation is a recommended procedure for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing a cardiac surgery operation. However, the procedure is associated with significant risk of late recurrence of AF. The aim of the study was to assess the long-term efficacy of the procedure with respect to the comorbidities. The study group consisted of 22 patients: 9 women and 13 men, who underwen...

AIM Differential drug treatment guided by the underlying heart disease may improve outcome of rhythm control therapy. In the present study we investigated in a well-defined group with either lone atrial fibrillation (AF) or hypertension whether there were differences in rhythm control outcome between both groups in relation to the use of cardiovascular drugs. METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred s...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) induces a progressive dilatation of the atria which in turn might promote the arrhythmia. The mechanism of atrial dilatation during AF is not known. To test the hypothesis that loss of atrial contractile function is a primary cause of atrial dilatation during the first days of AF, eight goats were chronically instrumented with epicardial electrodes, a pressure transduce...