AIMS To characterize the nature and timing of atrial ectopics preceding clinical episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. METHODS AND RESULTS Holter recordings (n= 177, 60 patients, 58% male, mean age 61.7 +/- 11.5 years) were performed on patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. These were subjected to standard analysis and recordings containing atrial fibrillation episodes suitable ...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation and delayed gastric emptying (DGE) are common after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Our aim was to investigate a potential relationship between atrial fibrillation and DGE, which we defined as failure to tolerate a regular diet by the 7(th) postoperative day. METHODS We performed a retrospective chart review of 249 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy at our ...

Background: Although several conditions have been proposed as risk factors contributing to the incidence of atrial fibrillation, many individuals without such 'risk factors' also suffer from atrial fibrillation. The present study tested the hypothesis that the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation increases with increasing circulating levels of B-type natriuretic peptide in the general populati...

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Surgical treatment is the most effective means of curing atrial fibrillation. The classic Cox maze procedure eliminates atrial fibrillation in more than 90% of patients and has remained the gold standard in surgery for atrial fibrillation. Despite being highly effectiv...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary embolism (PE) may trigger atrial fibrillation through increased right atrial pressure and subsequent atrial strain, but the degree of evidence is low. In this study, we wanted to investigate the impact of incident venous thromboembolism (VTE) on future risk of atrial fibrillation in a prospective population-based study. METHODS AND RESULTS The study included 29 974 subjec...

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 ...

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 ...

2. Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter: Most common use of Holter in this setting is to diagnose transient atrial fibrillation. There is a unique application of Holter ECG in atrial fibrillation, that is particularly in understanding the relationship to autonomically mediated atrial fibrillation. After the diagnosis has been made Holter is used to assist the efficacy of anti-arrhythmic drugs in suppres...

BACKGROUND The occurrence of atrial fibrillation after ablation of type I atrial flutter remains an important clinical problem. To gain further insight into the pathogenesis and significance of postablation atrial fibrillation, we examined the time to onset, determinants, and clinical course of atrial fibrillation after ablation of type I flutter in a large patient cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS...

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Because of its potentially serious clinical consequences (heart failure, stroke, and cognitive impairment), atrial fibrillation has important socioeconomic and health implications. This article reviews the major studies on the epidemiology of atrial fibrillation in Spain. Recent data suggest that in people older than 40 years, the pre...