Atrial fibrillation: how effectively can sinus rhythm be restored and maintained after balloon mitral valvotomy?

Atrial fibrillation, commonly associated with rheumatic mitral stenosis, worsens the prognosis. We studied the efficacy of achieving and maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation who underwent a successful balloon mitral valvotomy. Fifty-four patients (26 men, 28 women; age 36+/-8 years) received amiodarone 200 mg thrice daily in the first week, and thereafter a maintenance dose of 200 mg once daily. Electrical cardioversion was attempted at 1 and 3 months and patients were followed up at 6, 12 and 18 months. At the end of 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months 81 percent, 72 percent, 60 percent, 54 percent and 49 percent of patients, respectively, were in sinus rhythm. Only one patient had a severe adverse effect (hypothyroidism). Univariate analysis revealed that lower age, shorter duration of atrial fibrillation and smaller left atrial size was associated with successful restoration to sinus rhythm. On multivariate analysis, the duration of atrial fibrillation was the only significant predictor of long-term maintenance of sinus rhythm. Amiodarone seems safe and reasonably effective in restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients of atrial fibrillation with rheumatic heart disease.

Age at onset, gender distribution and intraarterial blood pressure changes in atrioventricular node-dependant tachycardias.

OBJECTIVE: Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) and atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) utilising accessory pathways constitute the vast majority of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). We studied the age at onset, the gender distribution and the intraarterial hemodynamics of these tachycardias. METHODS: The data of 224 patients who underwent electrophysiology study (EPS) and radiofrequency ablation was analysed. The age at onset of tachycardia was assessed by a careful history. The intraarterial BP was noted during sinus rhythm (SR), immediately after tachycardia onset (T0) and 15 seconds after the onset of tachycardia (T15). RESULTS: The age at onset of tachycardia was a decade later for AVNRT (48 +/- 10 years) than for AVRT (37 +/- 11 years). There was no gender preponderance in the AVNRT group (60 males, 56 females) while a male preponderance was seen in the AVRT group (71 males, 37 females, p < 0.01). There was a marked fall in the intraarterial systolic BP in both groups at the onset of tachycardia, from 143 +/- 24 mm Hg to 108 +/- 16 mm Hg (p < 0.05) for AVNRT and from 139 +/- 25 mm Hg to 107 +/- 18 mm Hg (p < 0.05) for AVRT. There was no correlation between the rate of tachycardia and the extent of fall of BP. CONCLUSION: Hospital-based data in an Indian setting found a similar pattern of age of onset of AV node-dependant tachycardia as in Western literature. However, unlike in Western studies, no female preponderance was seen in the AVNRT group. The fall in systolic BP at the onset of tachycardia is significant, similar in the two groups and independent of the rate of tachycardia.