Identifying patients at high risk for the occurrence of atrial fibrillation is one means by which subsequent thromboembolic complications may be prevented. Left atrial enlargement is associated with progression of atrial remodeling, which is a substrate for atrial fibrillation, but impaired atrial pump function is also another aspect of the remodeling. Our objective was to differentiate patient...

background calcium infusion is used as a pre-treatment before calcium channel blockers to prevent hypotension. occasional cardioversion with calcium gluconate infusion is seen in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. several mechanisms have been suggested for mechanism. herein we report a case presenting with atrial fibrillation but cardioverted with calcium gluconate infusion,...

BACKGROUND Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia are recognized clinically when patients seek treatment for symptoms due to recurrent arrhythmias; atrial fibrillation also increases the risk of stroke. The frequency with which asymptomatic arrhythmias occur in patients with these arrhythmias is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty-two patients with paroxysm...

this paper aims to propose an effective paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (paf) predictor which is based on the analysis of the heart rate variability (hrv) signal. predicting the onset of paf, based on non-invasive techniques, is clinically important and can be invaluable in order to avoid useless therapeutic intervention and to minimize the risks for the patients. this method consists of four st...

BACKGROUND Episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation may be precipitated by the rapid ingestion of ice-cold foods and beverages. This condition has received little research attention, and its true prevalence is poorly described. Treating physicians may not identify cold ingestion as a causal factor of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, thus compromising both history taking and patient education. ...

Background—Little is known about the relationship between intrinsic cardiac nerve activity (ICNA) and spontaneous arrhythmias in ambulatory animals. Methods and Results—We implanted radiotransmitters to record extrinsic cardiac nerve activity (ECNA; including stellate ganglion nerve activity and vagal nerve activity) and ICNA (including superior left ganglionated plexi nerve activity and ligame...

AIMS This study sought to investigate whether the spatial dispersion of signal-averaged P wave duration would be increased in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, by use of precordial mapping of the P wave signal-averaged ECG. METHODS AND RESULTS The P wave signal-averaged ECG was recorded by the P wave-triggering method from 16 precordial leads in 55 patients with paroxysmal atrial ...

OBJECTIVE To compare sotalol and atenolol in the treatment of symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. DESIGN Prospective, randomised, open label, crossover study. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS 47 subjects aged over 50 years were recruited from the hospital outpatient department following ECG documentation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that coincided with symptoms. Six pati...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation arises in 20-30% of patients with sick sinus syndrome, increasing the risk of systemic embolization and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical determinants of development of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in sick sinus syndrome patients before implantation of a pacemaker. METHODS This case-control survey involved 144 patients (mean age ± SD...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of intravenous (IV) flecainide on defibrillation energy requirements in patients treated with low-energy internal atrial cardioversion. BACKGROUND Internal cardioversion of atrial fibrillation is becoming a more widely accepted therapy for acute episode termination and for implantable atrial defibrillators. METHODS Twenty-four pati...