Minimally Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation Patients Derive Significant Symptom Relief Following Rate Control or Rhythm Control Therapy.

Background: It can be challenging to convince asymptomatic to minimally symptomatic patients to pursue treatment of their atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that once in sinus rhythm, asymptomatic to minimally symptomatic patients would realize they were compensating for moderate symptoms, and that we could quantify this via the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Severity of AF (CCS-SAF) score.

Methods: All patients in our study come from the Symptom Mitigation in Atrial Fibrillation (SMART) study.

Sudden Unexpected Death in North Carolina (SUDDEN): methodology review and screening results.

Objectives: This paper describes the methodology for a prospective, community-based study of sudden unexpected death in Wake County, North Carolina.

Methods: From 1 March to 29 June 2013, data of presumed cardiac arrest cases were captured from Wake County Emergency Medical Services. Participants were screened into the presumed sudden unexpected death group based on specific and sequential screening criteria, and medical and public records were collected for each participant in this group.