title: Late improvement in ventricular performance following internal cardioversion for persistent atrial fibrillation: an argument in support of concealed cardiomyopathy.
abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the time course of atrial and ventricular function improvement following internal atrial cardioversion in patients with structural heart disease. Twenty-nine patients with chronic persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and underlying structural heart disease were followed by serial echocardiograms performed at 1 and 6 hours, 1 day, 1, 2, and 3 weeks, and 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after successful cardioversion. Sinus rhythm was maintained at 6 months in 24 patients. Following cardioversion the time course of left atrial mechanical function (peak A wave, percent A wave filling) differed from that of left ventricular ejection fraction: peak A wave values (cm/s) increased significantly at 1 week (51 +/- 23 vs 35 +/- 15 at 1 hour, P < 0.05), percent A wave filling (%) increased significantly at 2 weeks (34 +/- 12 vs 22 +/- 9 at 1 hour, P < 0.05), whereas left ventricular ejection fraction (%) increased later (at 1 month 60 +/- 14 vs 55 +/- 14 at baseline, P < 0.05 and at 2 months 60 +/- 14 vs 56 +/- 14 at 1 hour, P < 0.05). In conclusion, restoration of sinus rhythm results in an improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction during follow-up, even in patients with structural heart disease without fast ventricular rates at baseline. The dissociation between the time course of atrial and ventricular function improvement suggests that the latter was partly due to regression of a concealed form of cardiomyopathy and/or of a ventricular dysfunction due to chronic AF.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiology, University of Bologna, Azienda Ospedaliera S. Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy. cardio1@almadns.unibo.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boriani
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biffi
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rapezzi
authors.forename: Marinella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferlito
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bronzetti
authors.forename: Letizia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bacchi
authors.forename: Romano
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zannoli
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Branzi
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004554:Electric Countershock; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*