The results of the long-term follow-up of 119 patients who had DC cardioversion performed are described. All patients had had corrective cardiac surgery for chronic rheumatic valvar heart disease. The poor prognosis for maintenance of sinus rhythm in this type of patient is emphasized. Of the total patients, 83 per cent were converted to sinus rhythm, but relapses were common in those who had a...

Aortic flow and pressure relations and aortic diameter were examined during sinus rhythm, internal cardiac massage, vest cardiopulmonary resuscitation, conventional manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation and high impulse manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation in 14 anesthetized large dogs. During sinus rhythm and during internal cardiac massage, ascending aortic flow and pressure increased simultan...

Clinical studies and individual case reports indicate that corticotrophin and corticosteroids frequently help to restore sinus rhythm in acute complete A-V heart block associated with recent myocardial infarction (Prinzmetal and Kennamer, 1954; Phelps and Lindsay, 1957; Aber and Wyn Jones, 1960; Caramelli and Tellini, 1960; Friedberg et al., 1960; Dall and Buchanan, 1962; Dalil, 1964). However,...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE To study the action of adenosine in experimental ventricular tachycardia. MATERIAL AND METHOD We studied 173 mongrel dogs weighing 13-17 kg anesthetized with 30 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital given intravenously. Myocardial lesions were provoked with the injection of 1-1.5 mL phenol in the free wall of the left ventricle. Ventricular arrhythmia was induced 30 min later ...

BACKGROUND In patients with left ventricular dysfunction, atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF and AFl, respectively) are common arrhythmias associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The present study investigated the potential of dofetilide in AF-AFl patients with left ventricular dysfunction to restore and maintain sinus rhythm, which might reduce mortality and hospitalizations. MET...

AIMS As atrial fibrillation is associated with significant mortality and morbidity, restoration of sinus rhythm is desirable. However, previous data suggest that cardioversion should be restricted to patients in whom the fibrillation is of limited duration (<1-2 years) because of high relapse rates. It may be the frequent association with cardiac disease, rather than the duration of fibrillatio...

AIMS This study is the first prospective randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of an antiarrhythmic surgical procedure in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation undergoing mitral valve replacement. METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty consecutive patients with chronic atrial fibrillation undergoing mitral valve replacement were randomized for an additional modified MAZE-operation using intra-oper...

BACKGROUND Little is known about national patterns of pharmacological treatment of atrial fibrillation, in particular, use of medications for ventricular rate control and for restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm. METHODS We analyzed 1555 visits by patients with atrial fibrillation to randomly selected office-based US physicians included in National Ambulatory Medical Care surveys condu...

BACKGROUND Maintenance of sinus rhythm is the main therapeutic goal in patients with atrial fibrillation. However, recurrences of atrial fibrillation and side effects of antiarrhythmic drugs offset the benefits of sinus rhythm. We hypothesized that ventricular rate control is not inferior to the maintenance of sinus rhythm for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. METHODS We randomly assigned...

AIMS The aim of the study was to investigate the atrial myocardial deformation properties using ultrasound strain rate (SR) imaging in patients after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) and to compare its prognostic value in maintaining sinus rhythm. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 118 patients with AF (74 paroxysmal AF, 44 persistent AF) underwent transthoracic echocardiography with...