OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine if atrial pacing is effective in reducing postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF). BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a common problem for which medical management has been disappointing. Atrial-based pacing has become an attractive nonpharmacologic therapy for the prevention of AF. METHODS Sixt...

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...

Aging plays a critical role in the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF) and also increases the risks of cardiac dysfunction and stroke in AF patients. AF is caused by increased AF triggering from abnormalities of the thoracic vein and/or modulated substrate (atrial) with enhancement of AF maintenance. Clinical and laboratory evidence indicates that aging is significant in the creation of atrial ...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent arrhythmia. Patients with AF may report a variety of symptoms and often describe compromised quality of life. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. PURPOSE The purpose of this review article was to provide an overview of AF management based on current guidelines and new data. CONCLUSIONS T...

We operated on 56 adults diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD) between 1990 and 2004. Of these, eight had complications of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the preoperative period. After 1998, right atrial separation was performed in four cases. Marked improvement was noted in three out of the four cases. The right atrial separation procedure was a simple, easy, and effective method for the trea...

Chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with structural and electrical remodelling in the atria, which are associated with a high recurrence of AF. Through biophysically detailed computer modelling, this study investigated mechanisms by which AF-induced electrical remodelling promotes and perpetuates AF. A family of Courtemanche-Ramirez-Nattel variant models of human atrial cell action p...

BACKGROUND Episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) are known to cause both a rapid reduction in atrial refractoriness (atrial electrical remodeling) and a more delayed increase in AF stability thought to be due to a so-called "second factor." The aim of this study was to quantify the effects and time course of such a factor on AF stability in the chronic goat model. METHODS AND RESULTS AF was ma...

Atrial fibrillation requires a trigger that initiates the arrhythmia and substrate that favors perpetuation. Cardiac mapping is necessary to locate triggers and substrate so that an ablation strategy can be optimized. The most commonly used cardiac mapping approach is isochronal or activation mapping, which aims to create a spatial model of electrical wavefront propagation. Historically, activa...

There are a number of applications for pacemaker therapy in the management of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). The most frequent indication for pacing in AF is to prevent bradycardia in patients with rapid ventricular response and sinus node dysfunction. For elderly patients or patients with significant medical comorbidities who have highly symptomatic, drug-refractory AF, pacemaker implantation and a...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and affects 1.5-2% of the population [1]. Over 6 million Europeans have AF and the prevalence is expected to double in the next 50 years [2]. AF is associated with increased risk of stroke, heart failure, impaired quality of life, reduced exercise tolerance, left ventricular systolic impairment and death. Subsequently there is signi...