INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Ectopic activity originating inside the pulmonary veins has been associated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in some patients. However, the roles played by the pulmonary veins and the posterior wall of the left atrium in maintaining atrial fibrillation are not well understood. METHODS Our aim was to determine whether there is a correlation between the refractory...

PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to define the atrial electrical substrate in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) occurring in the absence of overt structural heart disease and to assess if electrophysiological parameters could predict AF recurrence after radiofrequency ablation in this population. METHODS AND RESULTS 45 consecutive patients (39 male, age 59 ± 10 years) ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the association of new-onset atrial fibrillation with outcomes, including ICU length of stay and survival. DESIGN Retrospective cohort of ICU admissions. We found atrial fibrillation using automated detection (≥ 90 s in 30 min) and classed as new-onset if there was no prior diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. We identified determinants of new-onset atrial fibrillation and...

patients with valvular heart disease suffer from atrial fibrillation for more than 12 months after valve surgery and have a low probability of remaining in sinus rhythm. we performed an intra-operative procedure similar to surgical maze ііі procedure for conversion of this arrhythmia to sinus rhythm. we did this study to evaluate the efficacy of this procedure to restore the sinus rhythm in pat...

Atrial fibrillation and heart failure are two epidemic pathological states that may affect the patient either alone or together. The incidence and prevalence of both of these increases exponentially day by day since both are synergistic to one another. Thus, it is very frequent to observe paroxysmal, persistent, or permanent atrial fibrillation causing heart failure because of associated high v...