Browsing by Author "Bunch, T. Jared (7005683484)"

[No abstract available]

[No abstract available]

Background: Data on the roof line (RL) and mitral isthmus line (MIL) reconnections after atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation (CA) are scarce. Objective: We studied the RL and MIL completeness and localization of reconnection sites in consecutive patients after their first-ever AF-CA. Methods: We prospectively included 41 consecutive AF patients who underwent predefined lesion sets of two circumferential lines (CLs) for ipsilateral pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) combined with a RL and lateral MIL. Three months after CA, all patients underwent invasive follow-up procedure for line persistency evaluation, irrespective of clinical outcome. Results: At the time of index ablation, PVI-CLs, RL, and MIL was completed in 41 (100%), 39 (95%), and 34 (83%) of patients, respectively. At the 3-month follow-up procedure, reconnections of PVI-CLs, RL, and MIL were found in 61% (25/41), 28% (11/39), and 24% (8/34) of patients, respectively. The 3-month reconnections were located commonly in the anterior and posterior PVI-CL segments, and rarely in the right third of RL and in the posterior part of MIL. The 3-month reconnections were rarely seen at the sites of acute reconnections during index procedure (6%, 20%, and 25% of the PVI-CL segments, RL segments, and MIL segments, respectively). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study systematically investigating the reconnection of standardized left atrium linear lesions such as RL and MIL after RF-CA for AF in consecutive patients. The RL and MIL 3-month reconnection rates were relatively low (28% and 24%), with poor anatomical concordance between the sites with acute and 3-month reconnections. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

BackgroundThe association between atrial fibrillation and dementia has been described. Whether a specific association exists between atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer's disease remains uncertain. This study aims to assess the association between atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer's disease through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.MethodsAn exhaustive search of electronic databases up to October 2018 was conducted. Studies that identified patients with and without atrial fibrillation as well as patients with and without Alzheimer's disease and reported results of at least one relevant outcome, including hazard ratio of the association between atrial fibrillation and Alzheimer's disease were included in this analysis. The hazard ratios and their confidence interval were then pooled using a DerSimonian and Laird random effects model.ResultsSix studies enrolling a total of 56 370 patients were included. At baseline, the mean or median ages ranged from 50 to 78 years with a subsequent follow-up of 3 to 25 years. The random-effect pooled analysis showed a hazard ratio of 1.30 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.59) and the heterogeneity was not significant, I2 48.1%. All of the included studies were rated as good quality.ConclusionPooled analysis suggest that patients with atrial fibrillation may be exposed to an increased risk of developing new onset of Alzheimer's disease. Given the relevant clinical implications, further studies are required to corroborate these findings. © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology-I.F.C. All rights reserved.