Utility of Amiodarone Pre-Treatment as a Facilitator of the Acute Success of Electrical Cardioversion in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

Purpose: The usefulness and mechanisms of antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) pre-treatment as a facilitator of the acute success of electrical cardioversion (ECV) in atrial fibrillation (AF) remain controversial. We sought to analyze the role of AAD treatment with this purpose, differentiating its possible utility either facilitating the restoration of sinus rhythm (SR) or reducing immediate AF recurrences (IAFR).

Methods: We analyzed 2962 consecutive patients with persistent AF undergoing ECV prospectively included in 3 national registries.

Dilated aortic root is related to a global aortic dilating diathesis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between the dilatation of the aortic root and the diameters of the rest of the aorta and to identify some related factors that could be used to identify patients at higher risk of presenting with an aortic aneurysm.

Methods: In 71 consecutive patients with a dilated aortic root identified by transthoracic echocardiography, prospective helical computed tomography was performed. Aortic diameters were measured perpendicular to the flow at seven levels in the thoracic and abdominal aorta.

[Effect of age on valvular dysfunction and aortic dilatation in patients with a bicuspid aortic valve].

Aortic regurgitation was the commonest functional anomaly among younger patients in a group of 63 individuals with a diagnosis of bicuspid aortic valve. With increasing age, a rise in the number with combined aortic valve disease and aortic stenosis was observed. Aortic dilatation was found in 65% of cases.