OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of changes in autonomic tone induced by phenylephrine infusion on atrial refractoriness and conduction. DESIGN Left and right atrial electrophysiological properties were measured before and after a constant phenylephrine infusion designed to increase sinus cycle length by 25%. SUBJECTS 20 patients, aged 53 (SD 6) years, undergoing electrophysiological study...

Identifying independent risk factors for stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is important for 2 main reasons: it sheds light on stroke pathogenesis associated with this common cardiac dysrhythmia, and it allows stratification of stroke risk for individual patients. Both are keys to prevention of the unduly large cardioembolic brain infarcts that complicate atrial fibrillation. Among non...

A n 84-year-old woman with a medical history significant for hypertension and hyperlipidemia presented with aphasia and was found to have a left parietal subacute infarct with hemorrhagic conversion and a remote right parietal lobe infarct, not previously recognized on computed tomography of the head. Workup included a transthoracic echocardiogram that showed normal left ventricular size, an ej...

BACKGROUND Chronic liver injury from different etiologies drives liver fibrosis. However, little is known about the associated factors, systemic factors in particular. Recently, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atrial fibrillation have been shown to be associated with each other. Thereby, we aimed to study the association between atrial fibrillation and liver stiffness. STUDY Ext...

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...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the results of the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation for ablation of the posterior left atrial wall using electrocautery in mitral valve surgery. METHODS From May 2004 to December 2006, 23 patients underwent surgical correction of mitral valve disease and treatment of atrial fibrillation using the conventional electrocautery for the accomplishment of lines of end...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of haemostatic and haemodynamic variables in left atrial thrombosis in non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation. DESIGN Case-control study. SUBJECTS One hundred and nine patients with non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation. INTERVENTIONS Peak blood velocity measured at three sites in the left atrium. Venous blood sampled for coagulant proteins and markers of haemostatic...

BACKGROUND Echocardiographic parameters for predicting cardioversion outcome in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation are not accurately defined. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the role of left atrial appendage flow velocity detected by transoesophageal echocardiography for prediction of cardioversion outcome in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation enrolled in a prospective. multice...

Atrio-esophageal fistula as a complication of percutaneous transcatheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. ablation with esophageal cooling with a cooled water-irrigated intraesophageal balloon: a pilot study. A et al. Clinical characteristics of massive air embolism complicating left atrial ablation of atrial fibrillation: lessons from five cases. A et al. Prevention of periprocedural ischemic ...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether the biplane area-length method can be used for the evaluation of left atrial volumes and ejection fraction with cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) by TrueFISP in normal subjects and patients with atrial fibrillation. BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in elderly patients. Left atrial size and volumes play an important role...