Characteristics and Prognosis of Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation and Significant Valvular Heart Disease Referred for Electrical Cardioversion

Valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is defined as AF in the presence of mitral stenosis or mechanical valve prosthesis. However, there are patients with AF who have significant native valvular heart disease (VHD) others than mitral stenosis that are classified as nonvalvular AF. The characteristics and prognostic implications of these entities have not been extensively studied. Of 1885 AF patients referred for electrical cardioversion (64 ±13years, 71% male), 171 (9.1%) had valvular AF (any grade of mitral stenosis or mechanical/biological valve prostheses) and 1714 patients were identified as nonvalvular AF, of whom 329 (17.5%) had significant left-sided VHD.

Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - May 12, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: N. Mai Vo, Melissa Leung, Phillippe J van Rosendael, Laurien Goedemans, Suzanne E. van Wijngaarden, Edgard A. Prihadi, Pieter van der Bijl, Nina Ajmone Marsan, Victoria Delgado, Jeroen J. Bax Source Type: research