title: Short-term progress of patients with self-limited first episode atrial fibrillation.
abstract: Clear guidelines are lacking for the management of the clinical pattern of first-episode type atrial fibrillation (AF). We retrospectively analysed the clinical evolution of patients with self-limited first episode AF identified from among from 200 patients who had been hospitalised in our cardiology ward with AF. Of the 200 patients, 33 (16.5%) were self-limited first episode. Over a mean follow-up of 19.5+/-12.5 months (53.6 patient-years), 7 patients (21%) had recurrence of arrhythmia and 4 patients (12%) had a thromboembolic episode (7.4 episodes/100 patient-years of follow-up). These results indicate that the profile of thromboembolic risk, and not that of clinical profile presentation of AF, should be the criteria by which to judge the indication for anti-coagulant treatment.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Márquez-García
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents