TERESA TSANG

..In contemporary clinical practice, echocardiography is the gold standard for diagnosis of tamponade and is essential for directing treatment...

..Obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for first atrial fibrillation (AF), but whether it is associated with progression from paroxysmal to permanent AF is unknown...

..In conclusion, LA structural remodeling appeared reversible with quinapril, which occurred in parallel with an improvement in arterial stiffness but independent of blood pressure changes...

..We sought to compare left atrial (LA) volume to LA area and diameter for the prediction of adverse cardiovascular outcomes...

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..When LA volume was <27 ml/m(2), however, the risks for these events were not different from those with normal LV diastolic function...

..We sought to determine if echocardiography enhances prediction of first age-related cardiovascular events...

..We sought evidence of a change in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) over a 30-year period among residents of Rochester, Minnesota...

..The prognosis for the cohort was favorable, and survival did not appear to differ from that of the general population (p = 0.372)...

..In patients without a history of atrial arrhythmias or valvular heart disease, LA volume expressed the severity of diastolic dysfunction and provided an index of cardiovascular risk and disease burden...

..The objective of this study was to determine whether diastolic dysfunction is associated with increased risk of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in older adults with no history of atrial arrhythmia...

..In conclusion, our findings suggest that there are systematic differences among existing LA volume methods. Biplane area-length and Simpson's methods compare closely, whereas the prolate-ellipsoid method generally yields smaller volumes...

..Aortic PP, brachial PP, and PWV appeared superior to AP in risk discrimination in this elderly cohort...

..The purpose of this study was to assess the mortality trends of atrial fibrillation (AF) in a community...

..We aimed to determine the long-term, gender-specific incidence and mortality risk of coronary ischemic events after first atrial fibrillation (AF)...

..To estimate the incidence of dementia after the first atrial fibrillation (AF), and its impact on survival in a community-based cohort...

..In this review, we describe the mechanisms involved in LA remodeling and highlight the existing and potential therapeutic options for its reversal, and implications for AF development...

..In conclusion, reduced LA reservoir function markedly increases the propensity for first AF or atrial flutter, independent of LA volume, left ventricular function, and clinical risk factors...

..In conclusion, this review provides an up-to-date discussion of the evaluation of diastolic function assessment in AF and how it may be important in the clinical management of patients with AF...

..Extended drainage with use of a pericardial catheter has become standard practice, and concomitantly, recurrence rates and need for surgical management have decreased considerably...

..This study sought to identify preoperative predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) among patients undergoing cardiac surgery...

..Whether or not this rate of increase continues, the projected number of persons with AF for the United States will exceed 10 million by 2050, underscoring the urgent need for primary prevention strategies against AF development...

..These patients tended to present early in their disease course, and men were more often affected...

..It was also an independent predictor of death...

..001). In conclusion, LA volume independently predicted first CHF in an elderly cohort with well-preserved LV systolic function...

..68) mortality risk after CHF diagnosis. CONCLUSION: In this study spanning two decades, there appeared to have been no significant reduction in terms of the incidence and mortality risk of CHF following first AF diagnosis...

..The relative mortality risk of stroke, however, had not improved over time...

..Because cardiac involvement in Wegener granulomatosis often is silent and associated with Increased morbidity and worse prognosis, echocardlographic screening of patients with active Wegener granulomatosis may be of clinical value...

..Thus, LA dimension is strongly associated with weight and with several echocardiographic valvular abnormalities; its relation with LV fractional shortening is U-shaped with a nadir at the borderline of LV functional impairment...

..More data are required with respect to the natural history of LA remodeling in disease, the degree of LA modifiability with therapy, and whether regression of LA size translates into improved cardiovascular outcomes...

..25). In conclusion, the marked increase in hospitalization after first AF diagnosis from 1980 to 2000 appeared to be largely driven by the changing practice pattern in AF management...

..These data also may have implications for the identification of patients who are most likely to experience substantial benefit from CV therapy for AF...

..Identification of the cascade of factors contributing to AF development will have important implications in primary prevention of this major public health problem. ..