BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is associated with chronic inflammation, and C-reactive protein (CRP) level is elevated in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the impacts of CRP and AF on carotid atherosclerosis and ischemic stroke in patients with suspected ischemic cerebrovascular disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS One-hundred forty patients (78...

The majority of proteomic studies have focused on identifying atrial fibrillation (AF)-associated proteins in the right atrium (RA), thus potential differences in AF‑associated proteins between the RA and left atrium (LA) remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to perform proteomic analysis to compare the potential differences in AF‑associated proteins between the right atrial appendag...

BACKGROUND It is unknown how atrial fibrillation (AF) is actually initiated by triggers. Based on consistencies in atrial structure and function in individual patients between episodes of AF, we hypothesized that human AF initiates when triggers interact with deterministic properties of the atria and may engage organized mechanisms. METHODS AND RESULTS In 31 patients with AF, we mapped AF ini...

AIMS To assess the relation between the atrial fibrillation (AF) subtype and thrombo-embolic events. METHODS AND RESULTS The observational Euro Heart Survey on AF (2003-04) enrolled 1509 paroxysmal, 1109 persistent, and 1515 permanent AF patients, according to the 2001 American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology guidelines definitions. A ...

Ablation has become a cornerstone of therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in the Western world and an important cause of morbidity and mortality.1 However, the optimal approach for ablation remains hotly debated, and this is particularly true for the selection of procedural endpoints. Since seminal studies by Haïssaguerre et al.2 showed that ectopy from the pulmonary...

BACKGROUND atrial fibrillation (AF) is difficult to cure and significantly affects quality of life was well as emotional status of patients. AIM to evaluate quality of life and depression level in patients with various patterns of AF. METHODS we studied 150 consecutive patients with AF aged 35-83 years, including 61 patients with paroxysmal AF, 46 patients with persistent AF, and 43 patient...

Background—Intermittent rhythm monitoring (IRM) to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence is employed to evaluate the success of therapeutic interventions. In a large population of patients with continuous monitoring (CM), we investigated the sensitivity of various frequencies and durations of IRM strategies on the detection of AF recurrence, the dynamics behind AF recurrence detection, and...

BACKGROUND Recently, the temporal excitable gap during atrial fibrillation (AF) has been identified as a vulnerable parameter for cardioversion of AF. In this study, we evaluated 5 methods to measure the refractory period (RP(AF)) and the excitable period (EP(AF)) during persistent AF. METHODS AND RESULTS In 11 goats instrumented with 83 epicardial atrial electrodes, persistent AF (43+/-34 da...

Background—To distinguish prolonged episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) that require cardioversion from self-terminating episodes that do not, an atrial implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) must be able to detect AF continuously for extended periods. The ICD should discriminate between atrial tachycardia/flutter (AT), which may be terminated by antitachycardia pacing, and AF, which req...

BACKGROUND Intermittent rhythm monitoring (IRM) to detect atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence is employed to evaluate the success of therapeutic interventions. In a large population of patients with continuous monitoring (CM), we investigated the sensitivity of various frequencies and durations of IRM strategies on the detection of AF recurrence, the dynamics behind AF recurrence detection, and...