atrial fibrillation recurrence risk factors

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias and is a major cause of ischaemic stroke. Recent findings indicate the importance of atrial fibrillation burden (device-detected, subclinical, or paroxysmal and persistent or permanent) and whether atrial fibrillation was known before stroke onset or diagnosed after stroke for the risk of recurrence. Secondary prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation and stroke aims to reduce the risk of recurrent ischaemic stroke. Findings from randomised controlled trials assessing the optimal timing to introduce direct oral anticoagulant therapy after a stroke show that early start (ie, within 48 h for minor to moderate strokes and within 4-5 days for large strokes) seems safe and could reduce the risk of early recurrence...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and myocardial infarction (MI) often coexist, and this overlapping nature leads to heightened morbidity and increases the need for comprehensive risk management strategies. The precise trajectory and implications of atrial fibrillation complicating myocardial infarction remain subjects of debate, with divergent reports presenting varying accounts. This review seeks to provide an in-depth exploration of the existing literature to cover the predictors, implication, and available management of new onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI)...

Low-voltage areas have been used as atrial structural substrates in estimating fibrotic degeneration in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The high-resolution maps obtained by recently developed mapping catheters allow the visualization of several functional abnormalities. We investigated the association between left atrial (LA) functional abnormal findings on a high-resolution substrate map and AF recurrence in patients who underwent pulmonary vein isolation without any additional LA substrate ablation...

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is an effective method for controlling the heart rate of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). However, recurrence is trouble under the RFCA. To gain a deeper understanding of the risk factors for recurrence in patients, we created a nomogram model to provide clinicians with treatment recommendations. METHODS: A total of two hundred thirty-three patients with PAF treated with RFCA at Guizhou Medical University Hospital between January 2021 and December 2022 were consecutively included in this study, and after 1 year of follow-up coverage, 166 patients met the nadir inclusion criteria...

INTRODUCTION: Cather ablation (CA) is a well-recognized treatment alternative for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients despite more than 20% ablation-treated patients suffering from AF recurrence. The underlying mechanism of AF recurrence postablation is probably associated with high cardiac parasympathetic activity, which can be assessed with deceleration capacity (DC) of heart rate. Given that the relationship between DC and AF recurrence is still controversial, this systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate the characteristics of DC in patients with and without AF recurrence, evaluating the prognostic value of DC in AF patients after CA...

Sport activity compared to sedentary life is associated with improved wellbeing and risk reduction in many different health conditions including atrial fibrillation (AF). Vigorous physical activity is associated with increased AF risk. We describe four individuals, who regularly perform endurance sport activity and developed AF. We discuss the changes occurring in the heart of endurance athletes and the possible etiology for AF, as well as currently available treatment options in this seemingly healthy population...

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is involved in the pathophysiological processes of arrhythmias. Increasing evidence suggests triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index, metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR), triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI), and triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio are simple and reliable surrogates for IR. Although they have been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), evidence supporting this is limited. Here, this is the first study to investigate the association between TyG-BMI index and AF recurrence following radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA)...

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been identified to increase stroke risk, even after oral anticoagulants (OACs), and the recurrence rate is high after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). Inflammation is an essential factor in the occurrence and persistence of AF. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an established molecular imaging modality to detect local inflammation. We aimed to investigate the relationship between atrial inflammatory activity and poor prognosis of AF based on 18 F-FDG PET/CT...

BACKGROUND: Patients may develop atrial tachycardia (AT) after left atrial (LA) ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: The population consisted of 101 consecutive patients (age = 64.3 ± 8.7 years, 70 males (69%), LA = 4.6 ± 0.8 cm, ejection fraction = 48.5 ± 16%) undergoing their initial procedure for persistent AF. After pulmonary vein isolation, patients either underwent posterior LA isolation (n = 50; study group) or linear ablation at the LA roof with verification of conduction block (n = 51; control group)...

BACKGROUND: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are commonly coexisting conditions. The impact of LBBB on catheter ablation of AF has not been well determined. This study aims to explore the long-term outcomes of patients with AF and LBBB after catheter ablation. METHODS: Forty-two patients with LBBB of 11,752 patients who underwent catheter ablation of AF from 2011 to 2020 were enrolled as LBBB group. After propensity score matching in a 1:4 ratio, 168 AF patients without LBBB were enrolled as non-LBBB group...

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have indicated high rates of future major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), but there is no well-established tool for risk stratification. This study sought to evaluate the prognostic value of several artificial intelligence-augmented ECG (AI-ECG) algorithms in patients with TC. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study examined consecutive patients in the prospective and observational Mayo Clinic Takotsubo syndrome registry...

BACKGROUND: Although early atrial fibrillation (AF) events during the blanking period after AF ablation are risk factors for late recurrence, data on predictors of late recurrence in patients who experience early AF events are limited. In this study, we investigated the implications of left atrial (LA) strain with respect to long-term outcomes in patients experiencing early AF during the blanking period after totally thoracoscopic ablation (TTA). METHODS: A total of 128 patients who underwent TTA between 2012 and 2015 were enrolled from a tertiary center...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of ibutilide administration during radiofrequency catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), to explore the success rate of conversion and related influential factors, and to analyze the effects of ibutilide on postoperative recurrence. METHODS: A total of 192 patients with persistent AF who underwent catheter ablation from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. These patients failed in conversion of AF to normal sinus rhythm by intraoperative catheter ablation...

The association between cryptogenic stroke (CS) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) with or without atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) has been a debate for decades in terms of pathophysiologic processes and clinical courses. This issue has become more interesting and complex, because of the concerns associating the CS with so-called normal variant pathologies of interatrial septum, namely ASA and PFO. While there is an anatomical pathology in the interatrial septum, namely PFO and ASA, the embolic source of stroke is not clearly defined...

BACKGROUND: Early recurrence (ER) within a 90-day blanking period (BP) in catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is a risk factor for late recurrence (LR) after 90 days postoperatively. However, few reports have examined them in the second CA and compared them to the first CA. Moreover, in recent years, there have been reports suggesting that BP should be reduced from 90 to 30 days. Therefore, the association between ER and LR in the first and the second CA was examined, and the validity of a 30-day BP was evaluated...

BACKGROUND: Although predictors and outcomes of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) are well studied, evidence is lacking concerning postdischarge late/recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF). This study evaluated factors affecting late/recurrent AF and its association with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) outcomes in a real-world setting. METHODS: From 2012 through 2016, 5175 patients were included. Independent factors associated with late/recurrent AF were identified in a competing risk setting...

Thyroid storm represents a critical and life-threatening complication from hyperthyroidism, with a notable mortality risk. Limited literature reports have explored the correlation between thyroid storm and peri-myocarditis, although the precise pathophysiological underpinnings remain unclear. The pathophysiology of how thyroid storm and peri-myocarditis are associated is not clearly understood; however, unfavorable prognostic factors include atrial fibrillation and recurrent thyrotoxicosis. Here, we present a case concerning recurrent peri-myocarditis concomitant with a thyroid storm...

BACKGROUND: Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) has been correlated with recurrent ischemic stroke. However, for clinical purposes, most CVR techniques are rather complex, time-consuming, and lack validation for quantitative measurements. The recent adaptation of a standardized hypercapnic stimulus in combination with a blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging signal as a surrogate for cerebral blood flow offers a potential universally comparable CVR assessment...

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a recommended strategy for rhythm control in atrial fibrillation (AF), but its success rate remains unsatisfactory.  Continuous research is being conducted to explore new technologies and modifications to existing ablation workflow in order to mitigate the recurrence rate. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine influence of distance between ablation lines on recurrence rate in patients undergoing first PVI and thus to optimize the procedure outcomes...

BACKGROUND: The annualized recurrent stroke rate in patients with Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source (ESUS) under antiplatelet therapy is around 4.5%. Only a fraction of these patients will develop atrial fibrillation (FA), to which a stroke can be attributed retrospectively. The challenge is to identify patients at risk of occult AF during follow-up. OBJECTIVE: This work aims to determine clinical factors and electrocardiographic and ultrasound parameters that can predict occult AF in patients with ESUS and build a simple predictive score applicable worldwide...