Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia following valvular heart surgery. Radiofrequence catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with prothetic mechanical mitral valve is feasible and relatively safe in experienced center. Implementation of real-time three dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography in atrial fibrillation can demonstrate on-line left atrial and left atr...

BACKGROUND We aimed to identify the miRNA expression profiles in left atrial appendage, with the intention of identifying miRNAs that were significantly associated with non-valvular paroxysmal AF. METHODS The RNA samples were isolated from healthy controls (n = 5) and patients with atrial fibrillation (n = 8). To confirm the findings obtained by analyzing the miRNA profile, we measured the ex...

Background Stroke is the most serious complication of atrial fibrillation (AF). Of the estimated 600,000 ischemic strokes that occur each year in the United States, 15-20 percent are thought to be secondary to AF. Blood stasis is a key factor responsible for thrombus formation in the left atrium (LA). Studies utilizing transesophageal echocardiography have shown that peak left atrial appendage ...

BACKGROUND Conversion of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with atrial stunning, but the short-term effect of a brief episode of AF on left atrial appendage (LAA) emptying velocity is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a short episode of AF affects left atrial function and whether verapamil modifies this effect. METHODS AND RESULTS The subjects of this st...

Background: Left atrial size is a determinant of atrial fibrillation ablation efficacy and embolic risk. The recent advent of real-time full-volume 3DE allows now rapid measurement of chamber volume more accurately than with standard two-dimensional echocardiography as volume is reconstructed from endocardial contours of the entire chamber without making geometric assumptions. Electro-anatomic ...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia. It is associated with increased risks of death and stroke; most strokes in AF patients are thought to arise from thrombi in the left atrial appendage. Surgical ablation of AF includes excision of the left atrial appendage and is an effective means of treating this arrhythmia, with the classic Maze procedure curing AF in >90% of p...

BACKGROUND Left atrial appendage occlusion devices are cost effective for stroke prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation when compared with dabigatran or warfarin. We illustrate the use of value-of-information analyses to quantify the degree and consequences of decisional uncertainty and to identify future research priorities. METHODS AND RESULTS A microsimulation decision-analytic model compared ...

AIMS Although left atrial appendage spontaneous echo contrast (LAASEC) is a marker of increased thromboembolic risk in atrial fibrillation, it has previously only been evaluated qualitatively. We sought to determine if an intravenous contrast echocardiographic agent combined with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) of the LAA could accurately quantify LAA-SEC in patients with atrial fibrillation. ME...

Cardiac papillary fibroelastoma (CPF) is often of valvular origin, but rarely forms in coumadin ridge (CR) and may cause cerebral embolism. We present an unusual 79-year-old man with embolism caused by CPF CR. The patient presented right upper limb paresis was diagnosed left centrum ovale infarction. Atrial fibrillation severe stenosis the carotid artery were not found various examinations. Alt...

The American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines recommend therapeutic anticoagulation for at least 3 weeks prior to cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation of 48-hour duration or longer, or when the duration of atrial fibrillation is unknown. This case report demonstrates the presence of thrombi in the left atrial appendage d...