BACKGROUND Although atrial fibrillation (AF) termination has been reported as a predictor of clinical outcome after persistent AF (PsAF) ablation, the relationship between AF termination site and mode and clinical outcome has not been fully evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 135 patients (62±9 years) underwent their first ablation procedure for PsAF (76 longstanding PsAF). With an endp...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) may arise out of anomalous impulse activity at atrial venous junctions. Triggered activity may be a source of abnormal impulse activity. Ranolazine is an anti-anginal agent, which inhibits normal and abnormal late Na+ channel current in the ventricle and peak Na+ channel current in the atrium. This produces an energy sparing effect and stabilizes cardiac memb...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a complex disease process, and the molecular mechanisms underlying initiation and progression of the disease are unclear. Consequently, AF has been difficult to model. In this study, we have presented a novel transgenic mouse model of AF that mimics human disease and characterized the mechanisms of atrial electroanatomical remodeling in the genesis of AF. ...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are common conditions that frequently coexist. Both conditions share risk factors, are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and may worsen the other. The presence of heart failure and symptoms associated with it may influence both the approach to management (i.e., rate versus rhythm control) and the treatment options available for AF...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia affecting elderly patients. Management and treatment of AF in this rapidly growing population of older patients involve a comprehensive assessment that includes comorbidities, functional, and social status. The cornerstone in therapy of AF is thromboembolic protection. Anticoagulation therapy has evolved, using conventional or newer medicat...

BACKGROUND Direct current cardioversion (DCCV) can restore sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but the long term efficacy is poor. Pharmacological therapies may improve the initial success of the procedure, but whether long term maintenance of sinus rhythm can be improved is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate which pharmacotherapies, including antiarrhythmic and ...

We aimed to investigate whether or not cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) can be used as a predictor of sinus rhythm constancy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) converted to sinus rhythm. Thirty two patients with AF (48-78 years), without any structural heart disease were enrolled for the study. The control group consisted of 32, age and gender matched healthy persons. Measurements of CT-1 were mad...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a ubiquitous yet diverse cardiac arrhythmia whose incidence increases with age; with most forms of cardiac and some pulmonary diseases; and with a number of metabolic, toxic, endocrine, or genetic abnormalities.1,2 Classification of clinical AF subtypes can be achieved on the basis of the ease by which episodes of the arrhythmia terminate as follows3: “Paroxysmal” AF...

Tree randomized trials (PIAF, AFFIRM, and RACE)1-3 recently showed that rate control was not inferior compared to rhythm control for treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it should be noted that frequent recurrences of AF and adverse effects of drugs decrease the potential benefits of rhythm control, prompting discontinuation of failed drugs in up to 40% of patients.2 In...

Atrial fibrillation (AF), at the very least, is a fruitful subject for both the clinician and basic scientist. Since 1965, PubMed has listed 6,329 publications with “atrial fibrillation” in the title, with 1,235 such articles between January 2001 and December 2002. In light of the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) parent study (1), which showed that in pa...