Left Ventricular Systolic Function Assessed by Global Longitudinal Strain is Impaired in Atrial Fibrillation Compared to Sinus Rhythm.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common aberrant cardiac arrhythmia. Many AF patients present with symptoms of dyspnea and fatigue, but have normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Purpose: To determine the reproducibility of measurements of global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate in patients with AF and examine if the arrhythmia is associated with abnormal LV strain and strain rate independent of age, sex, heart rate, LVEF and LV mass.