title: Arrhythmias in patients with surgically treated atrial septal defects.
abstract: Atrial arrhythmias complicate the clinical course of adult patients with an atrial septal defect. Atrial flutter is more prevalent in younger patients, and frequently regresses after surgical defect closure. Atrial fibrillation however, which results from a chronic underlying disease, rarely reverts to sinus rhythm after surgical repair. While younger patients with atrial flutter clearly benefit from defect closure alone, this is not evident in older patients with fibrillation, who may need an additional anti-arrhythmic procedure concomitant to defect closure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Congenital Heart Disease, German Heart Institute Berlin, Germany. berger@dhzb.de
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kretschmar
authors.forename: Hitendu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dave
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prêtre
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dodge-Khatami
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001282:Atrial Flutter / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans