Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Aditya Bhat, Henry H. L. Chen, Shaun Khanna, Gary C. H. Gan, Walter P. Abhayaratna, Maria Carmo P. Nunes, Chandini Raina MacIntyre, Timothy C. Tan
Summary: According to a study, heart failure, increased right atrial size, and impaired left atrial function are independent predictors of persistent/permanent atrial fibrillation.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordana I. Borges, Malka S. Suster, Anastasios Lymperopoulos
Summary: The regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are essential for terminating G protein signals elicited by GPCRs. They play crucial roles in the regulation of cardiac function and homeostasis and are involved in heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Numerous studies have shown the importance of RGS proteins in cardiac normal homeostasis as well as pathophysiology, with RGS4 being selectively upregulated in human HF and implicated in protection against AFib.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mary Rezk, Amar Taha, Susanne J. Nielsen, Tomas Gudbjartsson, Lennart Bergfeldt, Anders Ahlsson, Anders Jeppsson
Summary: This study aimed to explore the association between the clinical course of new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) and long-term outcomes. The findings showed that a more complicated course of POAF was associated with increased long-term risk for heart failure hospitalization but not for all-cause mortality or thromboembolic complications.
ANNALS OF THORACIC SURGERY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nathalie Noirclerc, Olivier Huttin, Christian de Chillou, Christine Selton-Suty, Laura Fillipetti, Jean Marc Sellal, Erwan Bozec, Erwan Donal, Zohra Lamiral, Masatake Kobayashi, Joao Pedro Ferreira, Patrick Rossignol, Nicolas Girerd
Summary: The study found that patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation exhibit early cardiac remodeling, characterized by increased left ventricular mass and left atrial enlargement. Although less than 10% of patients show diastolic dysfunction, there is a significant association with atrial fibrillation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Valentino Bianco, Arman Kilic, Sarah Yousef, Derek Serna-Gallegos, Edgar Aranda-Michel, Yisi Wang, Floyd Thoma, Forozan Navid, Ibrahim Sultan
Summary: Postoperative atrial fibrillation has a significant impact on the long-term survival and hospital readmission of cardiac surgery patients, with higher perioperative morbidity and more readmissions for heart failure.
JOURNAL OF THORACIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jin Ma, Miao Ren, Jinxin Li, Chaoyang Zheng, Qiuxiong Chen, Shiyu Ma
Summary: The study demonstrated that DQ reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation in post-myocardial infarction heart failure rats by inhibiting the functions of cardiac fibroblasts, thus ameliorating left atrial arrhythmogenic substrate.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Antonio Rapacciuolo, Saverio Iacopino, Antonio D'Onofrio, Antonio Curnis, Ennio C. Pisano, Mauro Biffi, Paolo Della Bella, Antonio Dello Russo, Fabrizio Caravati, Gabriele Zanotto, Valeria Calvi, Giovanni Rovaris, Gaetano Senatore, Daniele Nicolis, Matteo Santamaria, Massimo Giammaria, Giampiero Maglia, Antonio Duca, Giuseppe Ammirati, Salvo Andrea Romano, Marcello Piacenti, Eduardo Celentano, Giovanni Bisignani, Paola Vaccaro, Gennaro Miracapillo, Matteo Bertini, Gerardo Nigro, Daniele Giacopelli, Alessio Gargaro, Caterina Bisceglia
Summary: Although mortality rates were similar across different patient groups, patients with permanent AF and suboptimal CRT had a higher risk of appropriate shocks compared to those with sinus rhythm or AF patients with optimal CRT.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Antonio Rapacciuolo, Saverio Iacopino, Antonio D'Onofrio, Antonio Curnis, Ennio C. Pisano, Mauro Biffi, Paolo Della Bella, Antonio Dello Russo, Fabrizio Caravati, Gabriele Zanotto, Valeria Calvi, Giovanni Rovaris, Gaetano Senatore, Daniele Nicolis, Matteo Santamaria, Massimo Giammaria, Giampiero Maglia, Antonio Duca, Giuseppe Ammirati, Salvo Andrea Romano, Marcello Piacenti, Eduardo Celentano, Giovanni Bisignani, Paola Vaccaro, Gennaro Miracapillo, Matteo Bertini, Gerardo Nigro, Daniele Giacopelli, Alessio Gargaro, Caterina Bisceglia
Summary: In heart failure patients with permanent atrial fibrillation, mortality rates were similar between those receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy and those with sinus rhythm. However, patients with suboptimal CRT (<98%) had a higher risk of appropriate defibrillation shocks compared to sinus rhythm patients or AF patients with >=98% CRT.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Tetsuma Kawaji, Hisashi Ogawa, Yasuhiro Hamatani, Masashi Kato, Takafumi Yokomatsu, Shinji Miki, Mitsuru Abe, Masaharu Akao
Summary: Inverted T wave was commonly observed in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and its presence during AF rhythm was associated with subsequent cardiac events, indicating a higher cardiovascular risk in these patients.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Parag Goyal, Michael Kim, Udhay Krishnan, Stephen A. Mccullough, Jim W. Cheung, Luke K. Kim, Ambarish Pandey, Barry A. Borlaug, Evelyn M. Horn, Monika M. Safford, Hooman Kamel
Summary: The study found that post-operative atrial fibrillation is associated with incident heart failure hospitalization among patients undergoing both cardiac and non-cardiac surgeries. These findings highlight the adverse prognostic impact of post-operative atrial fibrillation and suggest that it may be a marker for identifying patients with subclinical heart failure and those at elevated risk for heart failure.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Leonard Bergau, Philipp Bengel, Vanessa Sciacca, Thomas Fink, Christian Sohns, Philipp Sommer
Summary: Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia worldwide and is strongly associated with heart failure. Two therapeutic strategies, rhythm control and rate control, are accepted as the standard of care in AF patients with heart failure. Recent important studies have investigated the optimal therapeutic strategy in HF patients.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Yogesh N. Reddy, Barry A. Borlaug, Bernard J. Gersh
Summary: Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in heart failure patients and can be both the cause and consequence of clinical heart failure. Some patients may benefit from maintaining sinus rhythm with catheter ablation. There is a close relationship between atrial fibrillation, left atrial myopathy, mitral regurgitation, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, with potential clinical benefits to catheter ablation therapy. Treatment of atrial fibrillation also requires consideration of the degree of atrial myopathy and chronicity of atrial fibrillation.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Michael Derndorfer, Shaojie Chen, Helmut Puererfellner
Summary: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are closely linked, with successful treatment of one potentially benefiting the other; adherence to guidelines is crucial, with AF patients potentially benefiting from ablation and HF patients having alternative treatment options depending on their LVEF levels.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Konstantinos D. Rizas, Luisa Freyer, Nikolay Sappler, Lukas von Stuelpnagel, Peter Spielbichler, Aresa Krasniqi, Michael Schreinlechner, Felix N. Wenner, Fabian Theurl, Amira Behroz, Elodie Eiffener, Mathias P. Klemm, Annika Schneidewind, Martin Zens, Theresa Dolejsi, Ulrich Mansmann, Steffen Massberg, Axel Bauer
Summary: The study compared the efficacy of digital smart devices in detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) and found that digital screening technology more than doubled the detection rate of treatment-relevant AF compared to usual care. This technology has the potential for broad applicability and further studies are needed to assess if digital screening for AF leads to better treatment outcomes.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
David Duncker, Wern Yew Ding, Susan Etheridge, Peter A. Noseworth, Christian Veltmann, Xiaoxi Yao, T. Jared Bunch, Dhiraj Gupta
Summary: This review focuses on the real-world use and evolution of wearable cardiac monitoring devices for other arrhythmias, cardiovascular diseases and some risk factors beyond atrial fibrillation. Wearable technologies such as Holter, event recorder, ECG patches have a broad application in cardiology. Implementation in other patient cohorts, such as STEMI, heart failure or sleep apnea, is feasible and expanding, with the need for clinical studies to address validation of clinical pathways and appropriate device usage leading to clinical decisions.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Rasmus Rivinius, Matthias Helmschrott, Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Fabrice F. Darche, Dierk Thomas, Tom Bruckner, Andreas O. Doesch, Hugo A. Katus, Philipp Ehlermann
Summary: This study investigated the 5-year results of heart rate control with ivabradine or metoprolol succinate in patients after heart transplantation. The results showed that patients receiving ivabradine treatment had better heart rate reduction, left ventricular diastolic function, and 5-year survival.
CLINICAL RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Felix Wiedmann, Susanne Rinne, Birgit Donner, Niels Decher, Hugo A. Katus, Constanze Schmidt
Summary: TWIK-related K+ channel (TREK-1) regulates cellular excitability in various cells, responding to different physiological stimuli. It may play a role in mechanoelectrical feedback in the heart and contribute to excitability dysregulation in pathological situations.
PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Patrick Lugenbiel, Katharina Govorov, Pascal Syren, Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Teresa Wieder, Maximilian Wunsch, Nadine Weiberg, Emili Manolova, Dominik Gramlich, Rasmus Rivinius, Daniel Finke, Lorenz H. Lehmann, Patrick A. Schweizer, Derk Frank, Fadwa A. El Tahry, Claus Bruehl, Tanja Heimberger, Steffi Sandke, Tanja Weis, Patrick Most, Bastian Schmack, Arjang Ruhparwar, Matthias Karck, Norbert Frey, Hugo A. Katus, Dierk Thomas
Summary: Atrial fibrillation is associated with electrical remodeling, which may be influenced by HDAC2 and NRSF, impacting action potential duration in atrial myocytes through direct regulation of K+ channel expression.
BASIC RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Teresa Wieder, Dominik Gramlich, Mara Elena Muller, Maximilian N. Wunsch, Fadwa A. El Tahry, Tanja Heimberger, Tanja Weis, Patrick Most, Hugo A. Katus, Dierk Thomas, Patrick Lugenbiel
Summary: The study revealed that the expression of atrial KCNN2 and KCNN3 is reduced in AF complicated by HF, with a suppression of HDAC2 expression. High atrial rates trigger epigenetic remodeling mechanisms, and knock-down of HDAC2 decreases KCNN3 expression.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Dominik Gramlich, Teresa Wieder, Mara Elena Mueller, Axel Schoeffel, Fadwa A. El Tahry, Patrick Most, Tanja Heimberger, Steffi Sandke, Tanja Weis, Nina D. Ullrich, Thomas Korff, Patrick Lugenbiel, Hugo A. Katus, Dierk Thomas
Summary: The study investigated the remodeling of K-Ca channels in atrial cells under different triggers such as tachycardia, stretch, beta-adrenergic stimulation, and hypoxia in patients with AF and HF, and in a pig model. The results showed a reduction in KCNN expression in AF/HF patients and pigs, with stressor-specific remodeling of K-Ca channels. This subtype-specific regulation of K-Ca channels may contribute to action potential prolongation in AF complicated by HF, providing a potential target for mechanism-based antiarrhythmic therapy.
PHARMACOGENOMICS & PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Felix Wiedmann, Christoph Beyersdorf, Xiao-Bo Zhou, Manuel Kraft, Amelie Paasche, Natasa Javorszky, Susanne Rinne, Henry Sutanto, Antonius Buscher, Kathrin Foerster, Antje Blank, Ibrahim El-Battrawy, Xin Li, Siegfried Lang, Ursula Tochtermann, Jamila Kremer, Rawa Arif, Matthias Karck, Niels Decher, Gunther van Loon, Ibrahim Akin, Martin Borggrefe, Stefan Kallenberger, Jordi Heijman, Walter E. Haefeli, Hugo A. Katus, Constanze Schmidt
Summary: Pharmacologically suppressing atrial potassium currents can prolong atrial refractoriness without affecting ventricular repolarization, leading to atrial-specific antiarrhythmic effects; The respiratory stimulant doxapram has been successfully used for cardioversion and rhythm control of atrial fibrillation in a clinically relevant porcine model, showing potential as a new antiarrhythmic drug for AF.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Shinwan Kany, Johannes Brachmann, Thorsten Lewalter, Ibrahim Akin, Horst Sievert, Uwe Zeymer, Jakob Ledwoch, Hueseyin Ince, Dierk Thomas, Matthias Hochadel, Jochen Senges, Paulus Kirchhof, Andreas Rillig
Summary: NPAF is associated with higher mortality in patients undergoing LAAC, and compared to PAF, NPAF has more complications after one year.
CLINICAL RESEARCH IN CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Pascal Syren, Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Patrick A. Schweizer, Claus Bruehl, Hugo A. Katus, Norbert Frey, Dierk Thomas, Patrick Lugenbiel
Summary: The study suggests that the suppression of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) is associated with ventricular electrical remodeling, ion channel expression, and the pathophysiological process of early heart failure.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Fabrice F. Darche, Matthias Helmschrott, Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Dierk Thomas, Patrick A. Schweizer, Tom Bruckner, Philipp Ehlermann, Michael M. Kreusser, Gregor Warnecke, Norbert Frey, Rasmus Rivinius
Summary: Atrial fibrillation before heart transplantation is associated with a higher risk of post-transplant atrial fibrillation, permanent pacemaker implantation, and mortality after transplantation. Patients with atrial fibrillation both before and after transplantation have worse clinical outcomes compared to those without atrial fibrillation.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Matthias Helmschrott, Fabrice F. Darche, Dierk Thomas, Tom Bruckner, Philipp Ehlermann, Michael M. Kreusser, Gregor Warnecke, Norbert Frey, Rasmus Rivinius
Summary: Newly acquired complete right bundle branch block early after heart transplantation is associated with increased post-transplant mortality and leads to other cardiac functional issues.
Article
Physiology
Ann-Kathrin Rahm, Teresa Wieder, Dominik Gramlich, Mara Elena Mueller, Maximilian N. Wunsch, Fadwa A. El Tahry, Tanja Heimberger, Steffi Sandke, Tanja Weis, Patrick Most, Hugo A. Katus, Dierk Thomas, Patrick Lugenbiel
Summary: The study found that KCNN1 and HDAC expression are differentially remodeled in atrial fibrillation complicated by heart failure, and direct regulation of KCNN1 by HDACs in atrial myocytes provides a basis for mechanism-based antiarrhythmic therapy.
PHYSIOLOGICAL REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Felix Wiedmann, Norbert Frey, Constanze Schmidt
Summary: K-2P channels play important roles in maintaining resting membrane potential, modulating action potential repolarization, and regulating physiological processes. Dysregulation of K-2P channels in cardiovascular diseases may have therapeutic significance. Channels like K(2P)3.1 (TASK-1) and K(2P)2.1 (TREK-1) are associated with atrial fibrillation and cardiac remodeling, respectively.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Manuel Kraft, Kathrin Foerster, Felix Wiedmann, Max Sauter, Amelie Paasche, Pablo L. Blochberger, Baran Yesilgoez, Yannick L'hoste, Norbert Frey, Walter E. Haefeli, Jurgen Burhenne, Constanze Schmidt
Summary: Doxapram has been investigated as a potential new treatment for atrial fibrillation in a porcine animal model. The pharmacokinetics of doxapram and its active metabolite were studied, revealing a biphasic elimination pattern with a short half-life and high peak concentration.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Felix Wiedmann, Raffaele De Simone, Peter Rose, Matthias Karck, Matthias Gorenflo, Norbert Frey, Constanze Schmidt
Summary: This case report presents a successful implantation of a subcutaneous ICD in a young female patient with dextrocardia and situs solitus, indicating the feasibility of left S-ICD implantation even in the presence of anatomical abnormalities commonly associated with this condition.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL-CASE REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Larissa Fabritz, Harry J. G. M. Crijns, Eduard Guasch, Andreas Goette, Karl Georg Hausler, Dipak Kotecha, Thorsten Lewalter, Christian Meyer, Tatjana S. Potpara, Michiel Rienstra, Renate B. Schnabel, Stephan Willems, Guenter Breithardt, A. John Camm, Anthony Chan, Winnie Chua, Mirko de Melis, Christina Dimopoulou, Dobromir Dobrev, Christina Easter, Lars Eckardt, Doreen Haase, Stephane Hatem, Jeff S. Healey, Jordi Heijman, Stefan H. Hohnloser, Thomas Huebner, Bushra Saeed Ilyas, Aaron Isaacs, Ingo Kutschka, Christophe Leclercq, Gregory Y. H. Lip, Elena Andreassi Marinelli, Jose L. Merino, Lluis Mont, Michael Nabauer, Jonas Oldgren, Helmut Purerfellner, Ursula Ravens, Irina Savelieva, Moritz F. Sinner, Alice Sitch, Ruediger Smolnik, Jan Steffel, Kenneth Stein, Monika Stoll, Emma Svennberg, Dierk Thomas, Isabelle C. Van Gelder, Burcu Vardar, Reza Wakili, Mattias Wieloch, Stef Zeemering, Paul D. Ziegler, Hein Heidbuchel, Gerhard Hindricks, Ulrich Schotten, Paulus Kirchhof
Summary: This article summarizes the outcomes of the 7th Consensus Conference of the Atrial Fibrillation NETwork (AFNET) and the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), focusing on key issues in AF prevention, management, and future research to improve care for patients with AF and prevent AF-related complications. The discussions among international AF specialists highlighted the importance of understanding dynamic risk profiles in AF patients, utilizing deeply phenotyped datasets for better insights, and proposing new algorithms and strategies for acute management, stroke risk assessment, anticoagulation use, and rhythm control therapy selection. The conclusion emphasizes the need for better characterization of morbidity and mortality in patients with AF, with a focus on addressing AF burden and concomitant conditions for stratified therapy.