Abbreviations: ACUTE 5 Assessment of Cardioversion Using Transesophageal Echocardiography; AF 5 atrial fibrillation; AFASAK 5 Atrial Fibrillation Aspirin and Anticoagulation; AFI 5 Atrial Fibrillation Investigators; BAATAF 5 Boston Area Anticoagulation Trial for Atrial Fibrillation; CAFA 5 Canadian Atrial Fibrillation Anticoagulation; CI 5 confidence interval; DC 5 direct current; EAFT 5 Europe...

The atrial electrocardiogram was studied in eight patients who developed intermittent atrial fibrillation following myocardial infarction. Thirty-two episodes of onset of atrial fibrillation and 28 episodes of spontaneous cessation were observed. An atrial premature beat followed by atrial tachycardia of variable duration always preceded the onset of atrial fibrillation. Spontaneous cessation o...

BACKGROUND Detection of atrial fibrillation after ischemic stroke is challenging due to its paroxysmal nature. We aimed to assess predictors of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation using non-invasive surface ECG and transthoracic echocardiography to select candidates for atrial fibrillation screening. METHODS Ischemic stroke patients without documented atrial fibrillation (n = 110, 67 ± 10 years, 4...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Obstructive sleep apnea is common among patients with atrial fibrillation, but the prevalence and risk factors for atrial fibrillation among patients who are being investigated on suspicion of sleep apnea are not well known. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of atrial fibrillation among patients investigated for suspected obstructive sleep apnea and to identif...

To study whether atrial fibrillation might produce local changes in the atrium which could facilitate the tendency of this arrhythmia to become chronic and self-perpetuating, we compared the effect of atrial fibrillation, atrial pacing, and acute volume loading on the perfusion and oxygen consumption of the atrium in anesthetized dogs. Measurement of atrial perfusion with microspheres indicates...

I review the present understanding of thromboembolic complications and their prevention in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation. Chronic atrial fibrillation carries an annual 3-6% risk of thromboembolic complications, which is 5-7 times greater than that of controls with sinus rhythm. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is associated with a lower risk of thromboembolic complications than c...

The mechanisms of atrial fibrillation relate to the presence of random reentry involving multiple interatrial circuits. Triggers for development of atrial fibrillation include rapidly discharging atrial foci (mainly from pulmonary veins) or degeneration of atrial flutter or atrial tachycardia into fibrillation. Therapy for control of atrial fibrillation includes drugs, atrial pacing for those w...

The effect of surgical ablation of atrioventricular accessory pathways on the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was examined and the results of preoperative electrophysiologic testing were studied to determine factors predictive of outcome. Among 50 consecutive surgical cases, 19 patients were identified with a past history of at least one episode ...

BACKGROUND It recently has been demonstrated that during atrial fibrillation, a short and variable excitable gap exists, allowing regional control of atrial fibrillation by local stimulation. In the present study, we visualized the process of excitation during regional entrainment of atrial fibrillation by rapid pacing. METHODS AND RESULTS In six open-chest dogs, the excitation of the left at...

INTRODUCTION The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effect of repeated cardioversion with an implantable atrial defibrillator on the clinical outcome of patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS The effects of the implantable atrial defibrillator on the total duration of atrial fibrillation, number of atrial fibrillation recurrences, and left atrial size were evaluated pros...