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Journal of the American Heart... May 2024Genetic and familial contributions to early-onset atrial fibrillation are described primarily in individuals of European ancestry. However, the role of racial and...
BACKGROUND
Genetic and familial contributions to early-onset atrial fibrillation are described primarily in individuals of European ancestry. However, the role of racial and familial contributions in the pathogenesis of early-onset atrial flutter (EOAFL) is unclear.
METHODS AND RESULTS
In this cross-sectional study, participants were enrolled prospectively from 2015 to 2021 in multiple academic centers with a diagnosis of atrial flutter (AFL) confirmed by ECG. EOAFL was defined as a diagnosis of AFL before age 66 years with no concomitant or previous diagnosis of atrial tachyarrhythmias. Family history was adjudicated through baseline questionnaires and direct family interviews about the diagnosis of atrial tachyarrhythmias, stroke, and cardiomyopathy. The primary exposure was a positive family history in first-degree relatives, and the primary outcome was the odds of EOAFL versus late-onset AFL. A total of 909 patients were enrolled. Participants with a positive family history of atrial tachyarrhythmias were younger, less likely to be of Black race, and more likely to have EOAFL. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for EOAFL in those with a positive family history was 1.8 (95% CI, 1.1-3.0). There was an increased odds of EOAFL in those of Black race (OR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.4-3.2]), alcohol use (OR, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.0-2.6]), and obstructive sleep apnea (OR, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.0-3.4]). Use of cardioselective β blockers or calcium channel blockers before the diagnosis of AFL were associated with a lower odds of EOAFL (OR, 0.5 [95% CI, 0.2-0.9]).
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest a potentially hereditary predisposition to EOAFL across race and ethnicity, warranting further study of the genetic contributions to AFL.
Topics: Humans; Atrial Flutter; Female; Male; Cross-Sectional Studies; Middle Aged; Age of Onset; Risk Factors; Prospective Studies; Ethnicity; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Aged; Adult; United States; Electrocardiography; Risk Assessment; Medical History Taking
PubMed: 38726902
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.123.032320 -
Texas Heart Institute Journal Sep 2021
Topics: Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Tachycardia, Supraventricular
PubMed: 34669954
DOI: 10.14503/THIJ-21-7548 -
Anatolian Journal of Cardiology Mar 2023Over the past few years, smartwatches have become increasingly popular in the monitoring of arrhythmias. Although the detection of atrial fibrillation with smartwatches... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Over the past few years, smartwatches have become increasingly popular in the monitoring of arrhythmias. Although the detection of atrial fibrillation with smartwatches has been the subject of various articles, there is no comprehensive research on the detection of arrhythmias other than atrial fibrillation. In this study, we included individual cases from the literature to identify the characteristics of patients with smartwatch-detected arrhythmias other than atrial fibrillation.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, and SCOPUS were searched for case reports, case series, or cohort studies that reported individual participant-level data, until January 6, 2022. The following search string was used for each databases: ('Smart Watch' OR 'Apple Watch' OR 'Samsung Gear') AND ('Supraventricular Tachycardia' OR 'Cardiac Arrhythmia' OR 'Ventricular Tachycardia' OR 'Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia' OR 'Atrioventricular Reentrant Tachycardia' OR 'Heart Block' OR 'Atrial Flutter' OR 'Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia' OR 'Bradyarrhythmia').
RESULTS
A total of 52 studies from PubMed, 20 studies from Embase, and 200 studies from SCOPUS were identified. After screening, 18 articles were included. A total of 22 patients were obtained from 14 case reports or case series. Four cohort studies evaluating various arrhythmias were included. Arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia, second- or third-degree atrioventricular block, and sinus bradycardia, were detected with smartwatches.
CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac arrhythmias other than atrial fibrillation are also commonly detected with smartwatches. Smartwatches have an important potential besides traditional methods in the detection of arrhythmias and clinical practice.
Topics: Humans; Atrial Fibrillation; Bradycardia; Atrial Flutter; Tachycardia, Ventricular; Atrioventricular Block; Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry
PubMed: 36856589
DOI: 10.14744/AnatolJCardiol.2023.2799 -
The Journal of Innovations in Cardiac... Feb 2021We present an interesting case of atrial flutter in a patient with previous pulmonary vein isolation. The entirety of the atrial flutter cycle length was mapped to the...
We present an interesting case of atrial flutter in a patient with previous pulmonary vein isolation. The entirety of the atrial flutter cycle length was mapped to the left atrium; however, an atrial flutter could not be terminated from the left side. Subsequently, the right atrium was mapped and an area of earliest activation was noted in the junction between the superior vena cava and right atrium. Ablation performed in this area terminated the flutter. We believe that both the left atrium and the portion of the right atrium indicated were part of the circuit and herein discuss the likely mechanism of the biatrial dependence of this tachycardia.
PubMed: 33654568
DOI: 10.19102/icrm.2021.120206 -
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association... May 2023Few studies have explored the relationship between air pollution and arrhythmia onset at the hourly level. We aimed to examine the association of exposure to air...
BACKGROUND
Few studies have explored the relationship between air pollution and arrhythmia onset at the hourly level. We aimed to examine the association of exposure to air pollution with the onset of acute symptomatic arrhythmia at an hourly level.
METHODS
We conducted a nationwide, time-stratified, case-crossover study in China between 2015 and 2021. We obtained hourly information on the onset of symptomatic arrhythmia (including atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial and ventricular premature beats and supraventricular tachycardia) from the Chinese Cardiovascular Association Database - Chest Pain Center (including 2025 certified hospitals in 322 cities). We obtained data on hourly concentrations of 6 air pollutants from the nearest monitors, including fine particles (PM), coarse particles (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone. For each patient, we matched the case period to 3 or 4 control periods during the same hour, day of week, month and year. We used conditional logistic regression models to analyze the data.
RESULTS
We included a total of 190 115 patients with acute onset of symptomatic arrhythmia. Air pollution was associated with increased risk of onset of symptomatic arrhythmia within the first few hours of exposure; this risk attenuated substantially after 24 hours. An interquartile range increase in PM, NO, SO and CO in the first 24 hours after exposure (i.e., lag period 0-24 h) was associated with significantly higher odds of atrial fibrillation (1.7%-3.4%), atrial flutter (8.1%-11.4%) and supraventricular tachycardia (3.4%-8.9%). Exposure to PM was associated with significantly higher odds of atrial flutter (8.7%) and supraventricular tachycardia (5.4%), and exposure to ozone was associated with higher odds of supraventricular tachycardia (3.4%). The exposure-response relationships were approximately linear, without discernible concentration thresholds.
INTERPRETATION
Exposure to air pollution was associated with the onset of symptomatic arrhythmia shortly after exposure. This finding highlights the importance of further reducing air pollution and taking prompt protective measures for susceptible populations during periods of elevated levels of air pollutants.
Topics: Humans; Cross-Over Studies; Atrial Fibrillation; Cities; Atrial Flutter; Nitrogen Dioxide; Particulate Matter; Air Pollution; Air Pollutants; Ozone; China; Environmental Exposure
PubMed: 37127306
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.220929 -
Clinical and Experimental Emergency... Jan 2024This clinical review is intended to assist emergency physicians manage patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with acute/recent-onset atrial fibrillation...
This clinical review is intended to assist emergency physicians manage patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with acute/recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter (AFL). This article is based primarily on the 2021 Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Acute Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter Best Practices Checklist. We encourage readers to download the open access CAEP Checklist article (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43678-021-00167-y) and the free smartphone app (CAEP Atrial Fibrillation Guide). We focus on four key elements of ED care: assessment and risk stratification, rate and rhythm control, short-term and long-term stroke prevention, and disposition and follow-up. It is important to determine if AF/AFL with rapid ventricular response is a primary arrhythmia or secondary to medical causes. While it is unusual for patients with primary AF to be unstable, urgent cardioversion is occasionally required. The criteria for when cardioversion is safe have recently changed and it is essential that physicians are well versed in them. When rhythm control is not safe, provide effective and safe IV rate control. When rhythm control is safe, either pharmacological or electrical cardioversion acceptable, per patient and physician preference. Rapid ventricular pre-excitation (Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome) usually, but not always, requires urgent electrical cardioversion. ED physicians should prescribe oral anticoagulants at discharge if indicated. No specific direct oral anticoagulant is preferred, and references should be freely consulted for optimal dosing. Hospital admission is rarely required for acute AF/AFL patients, who should be given good discharge instructions.
PubMed: 38286500
DOI: 10.15441/ceem.23.152 -
Indian Pacing and Electrophysiology... 2021The important increase in life expectancy of adult patients with congenital heart disease (ACHD) has generated new challenges, including arrhythmias that represent one... (Review)
Review
The important increase in life expectancy of adult patients with congenital heart disease (ACHD) has generated new challenges, including arrhythmias that represent one of the main late complications. Reentrant atrial arrhythmias are by far the main mechanism encountered, and catheter ablation has been now presented as a first-line therapy in this patient population. The number of procedures is expected to continuously increase year after year. The heterogeneity and complexity of phenotypes encountered require these cases to be performed by highly experienced operators, in specialized centers with multidisciplinary competencies. A thorough knowledge and understanding of anatomic specificities, vascular access issues, and main circuits encountered according to underlying phenotype is essential. Acute success rates have significantly improved and are now excellent, but recurrences remain a common issue, with different mechanisms or circuits frequently encountered. Observational data have suggested the interest of systematically targeting all inducible atrial arrhythmias, whether previously documented or not, and a lot of hope and research is based on the prediction of arrhythmia substrate before arrhythmia development by imaging or electroanatomic mapping to deliver a prophylactic patient tailored ablation approach. In this review, we summarize those different points in the most common or distinctive defects to offer a didactic overview of atrial flutter catheter ablation in ACHD patients.
PubMed: 34157427
DOI: 10.1016/j.ipej.2021.06.003 -
JACC. Clinical Electrophysiology Sep 2022
Topics: Atrial Flutter; Humans; Tachycardia, Supraventricular
PubMed: 36137721
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2022.07.015