AI Article Synopsis

  • The study aimed to assess atorvastatin's effectiveness in maintaining stable sinus rhythm (SR) after electrical cardioversion (CV) in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF).
  • A total of 234 patients were randomly assigned to receive either atorvastatin or a placebo, with treatment starting 14 days before and continuing 30 days after CV.
  • Results showed no significant difference between the atorvastatin and placebo groups in achieving SR 30 days post-CV, indicating that atorvastatin is not more effective than placebo for this purpose.

Article Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the effect of atorvastatin in achieving stable sinus rhythm (SR) 30 days after electrical cardioversion (CV) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: The study included 234 patients. The patients were randomized to treatment with atorvastatin 80 mg daily (n = 118) or placebo (n = 116) in a prospective, double-blinded fashion. Treatment was initiated 14 days before CV and was continued 30 days after CV. The two groups were well-balanced with respect to baseline characteristics. Mean age was 65 +/- 10 years, 76% of the patients were male and 4% had ischaemic heart disease. Study medication was well-tolerated in all patients but one. Before primary endpoint 12 patients were excluded. In the atorvastatin group 99 patients (89%) converted to SR at electrical CV compared with 95 (86%) in the placebo group (P = 0.42). An intention-to-treat analysis with the available data, by randomization group, showed that 57 (51%) in the atorvastatin group and 47 (42%) in the placebo group were in SR 30 days after CV (OR 1.44, 95%CI 0.85-2.44, P = 0.18).

Conclusion: Atorvastatin was not statistically superior to placebo with regards to maintaining SR 30 days after CV in patients with persistent AF.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehp006DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

persistent atrial
8
atrial fibrillation
8
patients
8
patients persistent
8
atorvastatin group
8
placebo group
8
atorvastatin
6
days
5
group
5
atorvastatin persistent
4

Similar Publications

Functional mitral regurgitation (MR) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and over the past decade, the diagnosis of atrial functional mitral regurgitation (aFMR) has been increasingly observed in the elderly, especially in those with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Annular enlargement, perturbations of annular contraction, and atriogenic leaflet tethering distinguish the pathophysiology of aFMR from the one of ventricular origin. However, no consensus provides recommendations regarding the differential diagnosis and the subsequent management of aFMR.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Transposition of the great arteries (TGA), especially with intact ventricular septum (TGA-IVS), presents unique challenges during fetal-to-neonatal transition, which can contribute to developing persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).

Case Presentation: A male newborn with TGA-IVS, delivered via caesarean section, presented with hypoxemia and tachycardia immediately after birth (preductal SpO: 50-60%, post-ductal SpO: 70-75%). Echocardiography revealed a floppy interatrial septum and two interatrial connections with bidirectional shunting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is effective for treating heart failure but is under-researched in patients with common comorbidities like atrial fibrillation (AF).
  • The SMART registry enrolled 2035 patients to assess CRT response based on clinical outcomes over 12 months, focusing on factors like all-cause mortality, hospitalizations, and quality of life.
  • Results showed 58.9% of patients improved, but factors like age, AF, and diabetes were linked to lower CRT responsiveness, with patients having AF experiencing higher rates of hospitalizations and mortality compared to those in normal rhythm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Secondary stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the fastest growing areas in the field of cerebrovascular diseases. This Scientific statement from the World Stroke Organization Brain & Heart Task Force provides a critical analysis of the strength of current evidence this topic, highlights areas of current controversy, identifies knowledge gaps, and proposes priorities for future research.

Methods: We select topics with the highest clinical relevance and perform a systematic search to answer specific practical questions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cor triatriatum is an uncommon cardiac defect that occurs in 0.1-0.4% of congenital heart disease patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!