Faulty incorporation of the common pulmonary vein leaves it as a distinct structure posteriorly, into which the pulmonary veins empty. This "chamber" is separated from the anterior "fetal" left atrium (containing the left atrial appendage and communicating with the mitral valve) by a diaphragm, and is known as cor triatriatum, one of the rarest of cardiac malformations. Less pronounced but stil...

BACKGROUND The incidence of intracardiac thrombosis in haemodialysis patients has not been studied. Here we determined the incidence in end-stage renal disease patients on maintenance haemodialysis. METHODS Transoesophageal echocardiography was performed in 215 patients (125 males, 90 females; mean age 60 +/- 9 years). Any potential candidate with current or past chronic or intermittent atria...

Objective: The thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA) can be challenging for operators and increases periprocedural complication risk. However, recent consensus documents discuss that closure is a potential therapeutic option malign appendage. This clinical study aimed to evaluate procedural safety early efficacy outcomes of patients with thrombus. Methods: observational single-c...

A 56-year-old male presented with severe exertional dyspnea and pitting edema in the lower extremities. The pre-operative evaluation demonstrated biventricular dysfunction associated with severe tricuspid valve regurgitation and a persistent left superior vena cava. He was registered as a transplantation candidate, and orthotopic heart transplantation was performed using the standard bicaval te...

59-year-old man with long-standing persistent atrial Afibrillation underwent the first stage of a hybrid Maze by bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopy. Preoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) showed no atrial clot or mitral regurgitation. The left atrial appendage (LAA) was excluded with Endoloops (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ). He was discharged in sinus rhythm with prescriptions and inst...

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...

STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate the time-related change of left atrial (LA) appendage flow velocity in chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) by follow-up transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and to investigate its association with the occurrence of LA spontaneous echo contrast. DESIGN Prospective follow-up study. SETTING University-based, tertiary referral medical center. PATIENTS Forty-seven p...

AIMS Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with contraindications to oral anticoagulation have had few options for stroke prevention. Recently, a novel oral anticoagulant, apixaban, and percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) have emerged as safe and effective therapies for stroke risk reduction in these patients. This analysis assessed the cost effectiveness of LAAC with the Watchman dev...

BACKGROUND Algorithms of signal processing allow the estimation of atrial fibrillation (AF) activity from surface electrocardiograms (ECGs). OBJECTIVE To evaluate a new commercially available ECG system for AF analysis from surface potentials. METHODS Patients (n=52, mean [+/- SD] age of 68+/-9.6 years) with persistent AF (mean duration 44+/-52.2 months), referred for cardiac surgery, under...