Serum carbohydrate antigen-125 is elevated in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation

Objective： To determine whether CA-125 is elevated in medically stable patients with chronic atrial fibrillation （AF） compared with patients without AF and to examine whether levels of CA-125 are associated with demographic and clinical variables in a sample of patients under study. Methods： 55 patients with chronic AF and 58 control patients in sinus rhythm were included into the study. Patients with acute heart failure （HF）, chronic inflammatory or neoplastic disease were excluded from the study. Circulating levels of CA-125 were assessed; all patients underwent clinical examination, assessment and medical records including demographic data, history of comorbid conditions, current use of cardiac medications, and the results of cardiac tests including electrocardiograms. Results： The mean age of the study sample was 53.2±6.5 years and 48% were men. Patients with sinus rhythm were significantly more likely to have lower heart rates, smaller dimensions of left atrium, and to be treated with aspirin. Coumadin, coumadin and digoxin were more often prescribed in patients with chronic AF. The CA-125 levels were significantly higher in patients with chronic AF than in patients in sinus rhythm （48.5±7.65 U/ml and 28.43±5.48 U/ml, P〈0.005）. An inverse relation was found between CA-125 levels and left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） （r=-0.48, P〈0.001）. CA-125 was significantly related to the left atrium （LA） diameter, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVEDD）, left ventricular end-systolic diameter （LVESD） and brain natriuretic peptide （BNP）. There was no significant correlation between CA-125 and age. Conelusion： In subjects with chronic AF, CA-125 levels are increased; CA-125 was significantly related to the LA diameter, LVEDD, LVESD and BNP.

Mechanisms of organized atrial tachycardia during catheter ablation of chronic atrial fibrillation by stepwise approach

Background Extensive atrial fibrillation （AF） ablation is associated with an increased success rate of catheter ablation in chronic AF patients and an increased rate of atrial tachycardia （AT） during the procedure. The mechanism of these Ats varies in previous studies. Our study aimed to report the mechanism of organized AT occurring during the stepwise ablation procedure of chronic AF.Methods A prospective cohort of 86 consecutive patients who underwent an ablation procedure for chronic atrial fibrillation （CAF） was investigated. The stepwise procedure was performed in the following order： circumferential pulmonary vein ablation, complex fractionated atrial electrograms ablation, mapping and ablation of AT. The endpoint was noninducibility of AF/AT after sinus rhythm （SR） was restored or the procedure time was beyond 6 hours.Results Sixty-nine （80%） of patients converted to SR via AT. A total of 179 sustained ATs were observed in 69 patients during the procedure. There were 81% （n=145） macroreentrant ATs which included 65 perimitral circuits, 48 peritricuspid tachycardia and 32 roof dependent circuits, 12% （n=21） localized reentrant and 7% （n=13） focal ATs. Thirty （15%） patients experienced significant left atrium （LA） and LA appendage （LAA） conduction delay or dissociation in the procedure or during the follow-up period.Conclusions Most CAF patients converted to SR via ablation of organized AT occurring during the stepwise procedure. The mechanism of most of these ATs was macro-reentry.

Long-term efficacy and safety of very-low-dose amiodarone treatment for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation after successful direct-current cardioversion

Background Long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful conversion of chronic atrial fibrillation （CAF）, often ameliorates patients＇ symptoms, reduces the risk of ischemic stroke and improves cardiovascular hemodynamics. This prospective study aims to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of very low-dose amiodarone （100 mg daily） for the maintenance of sinus rhythm after successful direct-current （DC） cardioversion in patients with CAF and rheumatic heart disease （RHD） post intervention. Methods This study was a randomized prospective trial. One day after successful DC cardioversion （remained normal sinus rhythm） in patients with CAF and RHD post intervention for more than six months and adequate anticoagulation, all were randomly administered either amiodarone 200 mg daily in group A or amiodarone 100 mg dally in group B. Results A total of 76 patients （40 men and 36 women） were examined from February 1998 to December 1999. The mean age of the patients was （664- 10） years, and the mean follow-up was （674-8） months （range 61 to 84 months）. Actuarial rates of the maintenance of sinus rhythm were similar in the two groups after 5 years of follow-up. Four patients （11%） in group A but none in group B experienced significant adverse effects that necessitated withdrawal of amiodarone. No death occurred during the study period. Conclusion A very low dose of amiodarone results in adequate long-term efficacy and is safe for maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with CAF and RHD post intervention after successful DC cardioversion.