title: Effect of atrial fibrillation on exercise capacity in mitral stenosis.
abstract: To determine the preoperative and postoperative effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) on exercise capacity in mitral stenosis, 12 digitalized patients in AF (7 women and 5 men, age 52 +/- 6.1 years) and 10 in sinus rhythm (5 women and 5 men, age 46 +/- 5 years) underwent maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing according to Weber's protocol and Doppler echocardiographic examination before and at 3 and 6 months after mitral valve replacement. The ratio of right ventricular acceleration to ejection time was used as an estimate of mean pulmonary artery pressure. Preoperative exercise duration (6.8 +/- 1 vs 8 +/- 2 minutes), peak oxygen consumption (9.7 +/- 3 vs 12.3 +/- 3 ml/kg/min), and right ventricular acceleration to ejection time ratio (0.34 +/- 0.07 vs 0.34 +/- 0.08) were not significantly different between patients with AF and those in sinus rhythm. Postoperative improvement in these parameters was lower in patients with AF than in those in sinus rhythm: exercise duration at 3 months, 7.5 +/- 2 vs 11.9 +/- 2 minutes (p < 0.001); at 6 months, 9 +/- 2 vs 12 +/- 2 minutes (p < 0.001); peak oxygen consumption at 3 months, 10.8 +/- 3 vs 17.5 +/- 3 ml/kg/min (p < 0.001); and at 6 months, 11.9 +/- 3 vs 17.8 +/- 3 ml/kg/min (p < 0.001); right ventricular acceleration to ejection time ratio at 3 months, 0.35 +/- 0.08 vs 0.42 +/- 0.05 (p < 0.05); and at 6 months, 0.38 +/- 0.05 vs 0.44 +/- 0.05 (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Athens Medical School, Greece.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Triposkiadis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trikas
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tentolouris
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pitsavos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chlapoutakis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kyriakidis
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gialafos
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Toutouzas
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011184:Postoperative Period