istorical Aspect In 1827 Robert Adams was probably the first person to recognize Atrial Fibrillation (AF) clinically as a sign of mitral stenosis. Hope in 1839 identified irregular pulse in association with mitral stenosis. Etienne Marcy in 1863 published a tracing of atrial fibrillation from a patient with mitral stenosis. Arthur Cushney described it in 1899. Initially AF was termed as Deleriu...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of total and fatal ischemic stroke. Stroke risk after AF ablation appears to be favorably affected; however, it is largely unknown whether the benefit extends to all stroke CHADS2 risk profiles of AF patients. OBJECTIVE To determine if ablation of atrial fibrillation reduces stroke rates in all risk groups. METHODS A total of 4212 conse...

BACKGROUND The rate of stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF) depends on the presence of comorbid conditions and the use of antithrombotic therapy. Although adjusted-dose warfarin is superior to aspirin for reducing stroke in AF, the absolute risk reduction of warfarin depends on the stroke rate with aspirin. This prospective cohort study tested the predictive accuracy of 5 stroke risk stratificati...

AIMS Right ventricular pacing increases the risk of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in the long term. The effects of right ventricular pacing on paroxysmal AF (PAF) are unknown. The aim was to examine the effect of right ventricular pacing on AF burden (AFB) in patients with symptomatic drug-resistant PAF. Pooled analysis of pacemaker-derived counters and AF diagnostic data from the Atrial ...

Radiofrequency catheter ablation is recommended with increasing frequency as part of a treatment regimen for both paroxysmal and persistent forms of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), largely because of the relatively poor efficacy of antiarrhythmic medications1 and trials showing improvement in quality of life and reduction in AF in selected patients.2 The ongoing Catheter Ablation Versus A...

The curative therapy of atrial fibrillation (AF) is still challenging. Although the electrophysiologists know many strategies to cure AF, the underlying mechanisms are still mostly unknown. Also the optimal ablation strategy for paroxysmal and long-lasting persistent AF is not known. Complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) are becoming more and more important in the ablation strategies...

Background: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and an independent risk factor for stroke among the elderly. A role for inflammation in the atrial remodeling as well as development and recurrence of AF is known. Objective: To compare IL-17A between patients with different types of AF and healthy individuals. Methods: IL-17A was measured in sera of 112 patients and 107...

BACKGROUND Electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins by catheter ablation is an emerging treatment modality for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) and is increasingly used in patients with heart failure. METHODS The catheter ablation versus standard conventional treatment in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and atrial fibrillation trial (CASTLE-AF) is a randomized evaluatio...

Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated host response to several types of infections [1], still representing challenging issue in Medicine. Atrial Fibrillation (AF) frequently occurs patients with sepsis and septic shock [2], one difficult challenge for treating physicians: increased heart rate loss atrial kick worsen myocardial function cardiac output [3]. Unsurprisingly, AF has been consistently ...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac rhythm disorder, found prominently among elderly patients and patients with heart failure. Prevalence of AF is increasing as society is aging and is predicted to double for the next 20 years. Research shows that AF causes left atrial (LA) and mitral annular dilatation; however, the relationship between annular dilatation caused by AF and mitral regur...