Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in general population [...]

AIMS To determine the incidence and predictors of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its impact on survival in patients with other forms of supraventricular arrhythmias (SVAs) including atrial flutter (AFL), atrial tachycardia (AT), atrioventricular reentrant (AVRT), and AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). We hypothesized that SVA may increase risk of AF and concomitant AF may influence long-term...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice. Unfortunately, the precise mechanisms and sensitive serum biomarkers of atrial remodeling in AF remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether the expression of the transcription factors NF-AT3 and NF-AT4 correlate with atrial structural remodeling of atrial fibrillation and serum mar...

Over the last years, major advances have been made in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Early attempts to reproduce the catheter maze procedure, although barely effective, led to the observation that ectopic foci often originating in the pulmonary veins triggered paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. This, in turn, has heralded the development of focal ablation and, later on, pulmonary v...

BACKGROUND The transition from persistent to permanent atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased complexity of fibrillatory conduction. We have investigated the spatial distribution of fibrillation waves and structural alterations in the atrial free walls in a goat model of AF. METHODS AND RESULTS AF was maintained for 3 weeks (short term [ST], persistent AF) or 6 months (long ter...

UNLABELLED Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained and most important arrhythmia in clinical practice. The mechanisms underlying AF initiation and maintenance are known to be complex and heterogeneous. The general understanding of the detailed molecular basis of AF is still incomplete. Recently, these is increasing evidence that small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) c...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and severe arrhythmia, which largely affects quality of life. State-of-the-art treatment of AF still relies heavily on pharmacological modalities. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the properties of three repolarizing currents which contribute to AF-induced remodeling, i.e. the transient outward (Ito), ultra-ra...

There is a close interrelationship between atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL). Atrial fibrillation of variable duration precedes the onset of AFL in almost all instances; during AF, the functional components needed to complete the AFL re-entrant circuit, principally a line of block (LoB) between the vena cavae, are formed; if this LoB does not form, classical AFL does not develop...

AIMS The atrial potential duration (APD) restitution has been suggested to play an important role in ventricular fibrillation; however, its role in atrial fibrillation (AF) has not been determined. This study sought to investigate the APD restitution properties in two different AF models: vagally mediated AF and 6-h rapid atrial pacing-induced AF. METHODS AND RESULTS Twenty anaesthetized open...

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice and its prevalence increases with age. Patients who develop AF also have cardiovascular risk factors, structural heart disease, and comorbidities, all of which can increase mortality. AF causes a significant economic burden with the increasing trend in AF prevalence and hospitalizations. R...