BACKGROUND The aim of the publication is to show differences among patients with the first detected episode of atrial fibrillation (AF), paroxysmal, and persistent AF patients, for whom cardioversion was planned in the hospital setting in Poland. METHODS We present an analysis of the Polish cohort of the multicenter, multinational RHYTHM-AF registry. Consecutive patients in the hospital setti...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is accompanied by re-expression of fetal genes and activation of proteolytic enzymes. In this study both aspects were addressed with respect to troponin I (TnI) isoform expression. METHODS AND RESULTS Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were used to study TnI isoform expression in patients with paroxysmal or chroni...

BACKGROUND Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) naturally progresses toward chronic AF at an estimated rate of 15% to 30% over a 1- to 3-year period. Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is increasingly performed for the treatment of drug-refractory paroxysmal AF. The long-term data on clinical outcome after circumferential PV isolation are limited. METHODS AND RESULTS From 2003 to late 2004, 161 pat...

BACKGROUND We investigated the impact and the predictive value of sinus rhythm at 12 months (SR12) on subscales of three different HrQoL questionnaires: SF-36., EuroQoL and MFI 20. METHODS Data of 125 cardiac surgery patients with pre-operative AF from our previous randomized trial were used. Based on their rhythm outcome patients were divided in two groups: SR12 or AF at 12 months follow up ...

Your patient with atrial fibrillation (AF) is hemodynamically stable and you have successfully established rate control. Your next step is to weigh the risks and benefits of attempting to restore sinus rhythm. In up to one half of patients, AF of recent onset converts spontaneously to normal sinus rhythm within 24 hours. Thus, in some cases, the most appropriate approach may be to control the v...

NT-proBNP is produced from both atria and ventricles. The primary regulation of production is at the synthesis level. The plasma half-life of NT-proBNP is 60-120 min. Cutoff value of NT-proBNP for diagnosis of heart failure is 125 pg/ml in the age group below 75 years and 450 pg/ml in the age group above 75 years. It increases in atrial fibrillation and drops after successful cardioversion. Hig...

BACKGROUND With electrogram-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), the best results have been reported when complex fractionated electrograms (CFAEs) in both the left (LA) and right (RA) atria were targeted. However, many studies have reported excellent outcomes from RFA of long-lasting persistent AF with the use of other ablation strategies th...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an important advance for the treatment of end--stage heart failure (HF). About 15-50% of HF is complicated by atrial fibrillation (AF) and associated with worsened outcomes. Meta-analyses from observational studies suggest that patients with AF derive similar benefits to CRT as patients in sinus rhythm (SR). The presence of AF, however, may interfere w...

Echocardiography plays a longstanding and vital role in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). Advances in 2D imaging, Doppler echocardiography and strain imaging have all contributed to major progress in AF treatment. Echocardiographically measured left atrial (LA) volume is a powerful predictor of maintenance of sinus rhythm following cardioversion as well as risk of thrombus formation a...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia facing physicians, afflicting 13% of men and 11% of women over 85 years of age. Epidemiological studies estimate that there are ≥ 11 million AF sufferers in the seven major economies and that its prevalence will increase two- to threefold over the next 50 years. Current strategies for treating AF involve either sinus rhythm (SR) mai...