title: Effect of rhythm regularization on left ventricular contractility in patients with atrial fibrillation.
abstract: In 10 patients with atrial fibrillation, echocardiographic measures of left ventricular function-interval relations were used to assess contractility and to test the hypothesis that rhythm regularization produces a higher contractile state than is seen when the rhythm is irregular. Regularization, following direct-current cardioversion, did not augment ventricular contractility above that seen during atrial fibrillation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Effat
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Schick
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Gaasch
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004554:Electric Countershock / Q000379:methods*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left