title: Atrial fibrillation in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
abstract: Atrial fibrillation in patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome may lead to syncope, ventricular fibrillation, and sudden death. In a follow-up study of 241 patients with WPW syndrome in a relatively unselected population, 26 patients had documented atrial fibrillation (11%). These patients were followed up after 1-37 years (median 11 years; mean 15 years). During this period, 2 of 26 died suddenly. These 2 patients had the shortest RR interval during spontaneous atrial fibrillation (less than or equal to 220 msec), greater than or equal to 1 episodes of syncope, and a persistent delta wave in all available electrocardiograms. In comparison, sudden or tachycardia-related death was seen in 4 of the 241 patients. This difference is not statistically significant. Thus, atrial fibrillation of 26 patients with WPW syndrome was surprisingly well tolerated in our follow-up study with only 2 sudden deaths.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department B, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University, Denmark.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Pietersen
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sandøe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D013575:Syncope / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*