Atrial fibrillation in heart failure: Current treatment of patients with remodeled atria

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic heart failure (CHF) can be caused by each other, and therefore constitute a vicious circle. The prevalence of both conditions is about 1% in industrialized countries and increases with age. Although mortality is increased in heart failure, the additional prognostic relevance of AF in these patients is less clear. AF in patients with CHF can worsen heart failure symptoms, cause complications (eg, stroke), and is difficult to treat. Thus, prevention of AF entirely is an important goal. This review summarizes recent data concerning prognostic relevance, treatment, and means of primary and secondary prevention of AF in patients with CHF.

Evaluation of atrial conduction features with tissue doppler imaging in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

“…Several factors such as hypoxemia, hypercapnia, acid-base disturbances and autonomic dysfunction may contribute to development of arrhythmias in these patients [5,29,30]. In addition, structural changes in myocardium may be implicated for development of atrial fibrillation in COPD groups [31][32][33].…”

“…Among these arrhythmias, especially atrial fibrillation is a major cause of morbidity and mortality [5][6][7][8]33]. Prediction of atrial fibrillation earlier and elimination of triggering factors are important for the prognosis [5,6,41].…”