ECG and Non-invasive Arrhythmia Testing/Risk Assessment I

Two studies presented during this abstract poster session focused on atrial fibrillation; the key points from both are covered here.

Is CRP Related to Cardiovascular Death at Midterm Follow-up in Patients with Non Valvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Single-center Cohort StudyEderhy Stephane, Sylvie Lang, Louise Boyer Chatenet, Ghislaine Dufaitre, Catherine Meuleman, Fanny Douna, Nadia Aissaoui, Nabila Haddour, Emmanuelle Berthelot, Joelle Masliah, Frank Boccara, and Ariel Cohen, Hopital Saint Antoine, Paris, France

Stephane and colleagues "sought to investigate the clinical determinants of death occurrence among patients admitted for any type of nonvalvular AF (NVAF), as the "influence of an inflammatory state, as characterized by CRP levels, has not been clearly determined." After following 634 patients with an ECG-documented AF, the researchers found that "CRP appears to be a risk marker of increased death event at midterm follow-up in patients with NVAF."

Atrial Fibrillation in Acute Myocardial Infarction Increases the Long-term Risk of Sudden Death: Results from 10-year Follow-upGiuseppe Berton, Conegliano General Hospital, Conegliano, Italy; Rocco Cordiano and Rosa Palmieri, Cardiology Department, Adria, Italy; Fiorella Cavuto, Cardiology Department, Bassano, Italy; Paolo Mormino and Paolo Palantini, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Sigismondo Pianca, Internal Medicine Department, Vittorio Veneto, Italy; and Monica Centa, Cardiology Department, Conegliano, Italy

Because little data is available to on the long-term mortality associated with atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/FL) during acute myocardial infarction (AMI), this research was conducted in order to better understand the relationship between AF/FL presence during AMI, as well as the associated long-term mortality and modes of death. Berton and his fellow researchers determined that AF/FL during AMI is associated with an increased mortality rate at 10 years. They concluded that the "excess mortality appears chiefly due to sudden death, independently from confounders and" left ventricular ejection fraction.