INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The impact of atrial fibrillation on the prognosis of myocardial infarction is still the subject of debate. We analyzed the influence of previous and new-onset atrial fibrillation on in-hospital and long-term prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS Prospective study of 4284 patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction. We s...

Atrial fibrillation is a very common arrhythmia in patients who need an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) because of life threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation at the time of implantation has been calculated to be as high as 20% and it has been reported that during the lifespan of the ICD more than 50% of patients may develop atrial fibrillat...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine the mechanisms of idiopathic atrial fibrillation and the atrial antifibrillatory action of flecainide in dogs. BACKGROUND In a small subset of dogs, sustained atrial fibrillation can be readily induced in the absence of vagal tone. The electrophysiologic mechanisms underlying this ability to sustain atrial fibrillation, and of flecainide action on the...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation after noncardiothoracic surgery is known to be very rare; there have been few prior studies on this topic. We evaluated the incidence, predictors, and prognosis of atrial fibrillation after noncardiothoracic surgery. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Patients who underwent noncardiothoracic surgery at our medical center under gen...

Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia managed by emergency and acute general physicians. There is increasing evidence that selected patients with acute atrial fibrillation can be safely managed in the emergency department without the need for hospital admission. Meanwhile, there is significant variation in the current emergency management of acute atrial fibrillation. This r...

The effect of surgical ablation of 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 ...

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...

OBJECTIVES This study compared left atrial and left atrial appendage contraction velocities in sinus rhythm before and after a brief period of atrial fibrillation in a canine model. BACKGROUND In patients, left atrial appendage contraction velocities measured during sinus rhythm after cardioversion from atrial fibrillation are depressed relative to left atrial appendage emptying velocities me...

Hypertension is known to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. It has a role to play in atrial fibrosis and remodeling which tends to propagate further atrial fibrillation. Current anti arrhythmic therapy is unsatisfactory due to its toxicity. Management of hypertension offers an attractive target for improving therapy of atrial fibrillation. We examine the current evidence for anti hyperte...

Sleep apnea has been recognized as a factor predisposing to atrial fibrillation recurrence and progression. The effect of other sleep-disturbing conditions on atrial fibrillation progression is not known. We sought to determine whether frequent periodic leg movement during sleep is a risk factor for progression of atrial fibrillation. In this retrospective study, patients with atrial fibrillati...