Saturday, April 10, 2010

Determining esophageal anatomy with a new electroanatomical mapping system Short Title – Esophageal anatomy during PVI Diego Chemello MD, Imad Ham


Citation : Diego Chemello, Imad Hameedullah, Anandaraja Subramanian, Eugene Downar.Determining esophageal anatomy with a new electroanatomical mapping system .JAFIB.2010 March;Volume 1 Issue(11): 653-655.

A 53-year-old woman with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was referred for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). After obtaining access to left atrium (LA) and placement of catheters by standard technique, a high-resolution electroanatomical map of the LA and the pulmonary veins (PVs) was constructed using a map catheter (EZ Steer® Bi-directional catheter, Biosense Webster, Inc. Diamond Bar, USA) and the Carto® 3 System (Biosense-Webster Inc. Diamond Bar, USA) in the Fast Anatomical Mapping (FAM) mode.

An Update on the Energy Sources and Catheter Technology for the Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation


Citation : Pawan K. Arora, James C. Hansen, Adam D. Price, Josef Koblish, Boaz Avitall.An Update on the Energy Sources and Catheter Technology for the Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation .JAFIB.2010 March;Volume 1 Issue(11): 632-652.

The ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is an area of intense research in cardiac electrophysiology. In this review, we discuss the development of catheter-based interventions for AF ablation. We outline the pathophysiologic and anatomic bases for ablative lesion sets and the evolution of various catheter designs for the delivery of radiofrequency (RF), cryothermal, and other ablative energy sources. The strengths and weaknesses of various specialized RF catheters and alternative energy systems are delineated, with respect to efficacy and patient safety.

Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes - The Story Behind The Running Hearts


Citation : Shaolong Li, Zhihui Zhang, Benjamin J. Scherlag, Sunny S. Po.Atrial Fibrillation in Athletes - The Story Behind The Running Hearts .JAFIB.2010 March;Volume 1 Issue(11): 626-631.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia in clinical practice but the mechanisms underlying the initiation and maintenance of AF are yet to be clarified. It is well-known that regular exercise is beneficial to health and reduces the risks of cardiovascular diseases. However, recent studies suggest that long-term endurance exercise, including running [1], swimming, rowing [2] and cycling [3], or vigorous competitive sports may increase the incidence of AF in these athletes. This review article is intended to provide a summary of the possible links between exercise and AF.

Current Perspectives: Rheumatic Atrial Fibrillation


Citation :Bhima shankar P.R, Hygriv Roa B, Jaishankar S, Narasimhan C.Current Perspectives: Rheumatic Atrial Fibrillation .JAFIB.2010 March;Volume 1 Issue(11): 616-625.

AF is a common arrhythmia associated with large burden of morbidity and mortality. In areas with a high prevalence of rheumatic heart disease, valve disease is the most common substrate for the occurrence of AF and this problem assumes greater importance because the resulting escalation in morbidity and mortality involves relatively younger population. As is true of the general population, the prevalence of AF in patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease (RMVD) increases with advancing age.

Effect of Statins in Preventing Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Following Cardiac Surgery


Citation : Liang Yin, Zhinong Wang, Yifeng Wang, Guangyu Ji, Zhiyun Xu.Effect of Statins in Preventing Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Following Cardiac Surgery .JAFIB.2010 March;Volume 1 Issue(11): 609-615.

Background Postoperative occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been associated with less favorable outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and may result in increased post-operative morbidity and mortality.

Objectives A systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies were conducted to verify the effect of statins in the occurrence of AF after cardiac surgery.

Methods Using the Medline database, the Cochrane clinical trials database and online clinical trial databases, we reviewed all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies examining the risk factors of occurrence AF after CABG. We searched for literature published April 2009 or earlier.

Results Our review identified 6 studies (observational studies), involving 10165 patients, that examined the effect of statins on the occurrence of AF following cardiac surgery. Conflict from most of articles, the overall outcomes suggest that the statins group did not have a significant decrease in the occurrence of AF following cardiac surgery (P = 0.19).

Conclusions The preoperative medication of statins showed no significant decrease in AF occurrence following cardiac surgery in the Meta-analysis result. A more prospective studies and researches are needed to explore and demonstrate the real effect of statins on the postoperative AF.