title: [Should sinus rhythm be restored in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation? Preliminary results from the Polish "Hot Cafe" study].
abstract: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia occurring in clinical practice. It is the most frequent cause of hospitalization in cardiac rhythm disturbance. Despite comprehensive progress in the research into electrophysiological mechanisms leading to this loss of normal rhythm and new procedures dealing with it, the main problem being the conversion to and maintaining the normal sinus rhythm (SR) has not been solved. The polish study "Hot Cafe" is trying to evaluate the advantages and risks of the two procedures widely used in clinical practice in patients (pts) with chronic AF, i.e. conversion and maintaining SR vs leaving pts with the arrhythmia. Pts with non-valvular chronic AF fulfilling the criteria for including them into the sample are randomly assigned to two procedures: conversion to SR by means of direct current cardioversion and maintaining it or leaving pts with AF. Pts left with AF are treated by rate control and antithrombotic treatment. The project is of prospective kind and it will be carried out by many medical institutions. It is planned to include 200 pts. The observation period will last at least 12 months. Preliminary results after inclusion of the first 121 pts are shown.
authors.affiliation: Katedra i Klinika Chorób Wewnetrznych i Kardiologii AM w Warszawie.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Opolski
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torbicki
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kosior
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stolarz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dawidowska
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zawadzka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szulc
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kołodziej
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stopiński
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janion
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Achremczyk
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000925:Anticoagulants; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D001728:Dicumarol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004554:Electric Countershock; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011292:Premedication; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000925:Anticoagulants; D001728:Dicumarol; D000638:Amiodarone