Objective To analyze the current status and hotspots of surgical transmural ablation of atrial fibrillation using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. MethodsThe Web of Science Core Collection database was used as the data source. The CiteSpace 5.8.R3 and VOSviewer software were used to analyze the related studies on surgical transmural ablation of atrial fibrillation about the authors, countries/institutions, literature co-citation and keywords. Results A total of 109 articles were enrolled. Damiano RJ was the most prolific researcher, while Cox JL was the author with the highest number of citations. The United States was the leading country in this research field. The University of Washington was an important institution in the study of atrial fibrillation transmural ablation. The main hotpots were the effectiveness of surgical ablation, especially Cox-maze procedure, selection of the energy source of surgical ablation, combination of surgical and catheter ablations, and pulmonary vein isolation. ConclusionThis study visualizes the current research status of surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. How to improve the effectiveness and transmurality of surgical ablation is a hot research topic in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. The combination of electrophysiology mapping and surgical ablation may be the development direction in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common arrhythmia. Cardiac mapping technology, an important method to study the electrophysiological mechanism of atrial fibrillation, can determine the abnormal origin and record the distribution and transmission way of these atrial electrical signals. This technology offers a new way for research the electrophysiological mechanism of atrial fibrillation. The purpose of this study is to review the research progress of cardiac mapping in the electrophysiological mechanism of atrial fibrillation and clinical application.
ObjectivesTo systematically review the relationship between hypothyroidism and the risk of atrial fibrillation.MethodPubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, CBM, VIP and WanFang Data databases were electronically searched to collect cohort and case-control studies on the association between hypothyroidism and atrial fibrillation from inception to November 2019. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.3 software.ResultsA total of 5 cohort studies involving 574 268 subjects and 18 059 atrial fibrillation cases were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that hypothyroidism was not associated with atrial fibrillation (OR=1.10, 95%CI 0.75 to 1.61, P=0.62). From subgroup analysis, no relationship was identified in community population (OR=0.97, 95%CI 0.72 to 1.29, P=0.82) and cardiac surgery patients (OR=1.22, 95%CI 0.58 to 2.53, P=0.60).ConclusionsHypothyroidism does not increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. Due to limited quality and quantity of the included studies, more high-quality studies are required to verify the above conclusions.
ObjectiveTo explore the changes of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in the fibrotic atrium of patients with valvular atrial fibrillation and explore its downstream signaling pathways.MethodsA total of 45 patients with mitral valve disease were included in this study and were divided into a valvular atrial fibrillation group (VAF, ≥6 months, 25 patients) and a sinus rhythm group (SR, 20 patients) based on having atrial fibrillation or not. The atrial appendage tissue was obtained during the operation , histopathological examination and Western blotting were performed. The degree of atrial fibrosis and changes in FAK and its downstream pathways in fibrotic myocardium were observed.ResultsThis study revealed a higher degree of atrial fibrosis in valvular atrial fibrillation and disordered cell arrangement. Expression of fibroblast differentiation marker alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was significantly increased in atrial fibrillation, and the expression of FAK and downstream AKT/S6K pathway proteins was up-regulated, while the other signal was observed, there was no significant change in ERK1/2 signaling pathway.ConclusionAtrial fibrosis in valvular atrial fibrillation is an important feature of atrial structural remodeling. We found overproduction of collagen fibers disrupted the continuity of atrial myocytes, leading to abnormal conduction and providing a matrix environment for the development of atrial fibrillation. The expression of focal adhesion kinase and downstream AKT/S6K signaling pathway in fibrotic myocardium may be involved in the process of atrial fibrosis, providing a basis for the study of its mechanism.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy of Radiofrequency （RF） modified maze procedure combined with open-heart surgery for atrial fibrillation （AF）. Methods From January 2003 to October 2004, 66 patients underwent the RF modified maze Ⅲ procedure for AF combined with open-heart surgery. The preoperative and postoperative indexes of electrocardiogram and echoeardiogram were compared through retrospective analysis and follow-up. Postoperative cardiac function and thromboembolie events were evaluated through telephone and mail. Results The time needed for RF modified maze Ⅲ was 18.61±3.56 min. There were no hospital deaths and the complications was 15.15%（10/66）. Follow-up duration was 14.25±6.47 months with 95.45%（63/66） completion. At the lastest follow-up, the rate of freedom from AF was 80.95% （51/63）and the rate of restoration to sinus rhythm was 74.60%（47/63）. No thromboembolic events was seen. 77.78%（49/63） of patients were in NYHA class Ⅰ. Significant decrease was seen in both left atrial dimension （LAD） and left ventricular dimension （LVD）（P〈0.01） more than 6 months after operation. Conclusion RF modified maze Ⅲ procedure as an adjunctive procedure is safe, time-sparing and effective in eliminating AF.
The Chinese Guidelines on Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation, jointly formulated by the Chinese Society of Cardiology, Chinese Medical Association and the Heart Rhythm Committee of Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering, was first released on June 15, 2023. The guidelines elaborate the various aspects of atrial fibrillation management, in which emergency management of atrial fibrillation is also an integral part. This article interpreted the emergency management part in the guidelines in detail by reviewing relevant literature.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common clinical arrhythmia. In recent years, basic researches on AF have made a great progress. Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) has been widely used as a nonpharmacological treatment for AF. However, recurrence rate of AF is high even after RFCA. So we need to find the influencing factors of the recurrence of AF early. Choosing patients who have better indications can improve the success rate of RFCA and reduce recurrence rate.
Objective To evaluate the value of preoperative B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP） level in predicting new onset atrial fibrillation （AF） in patients after coronary artery bypass grafting （CABG）. Methods We electronically searched PubMed，EMbase，Cochrane library，CNKI and VIP databases from the establishment of those databases to November 2012. Evaluation standard of diagnostic tests was used to identify and screen literatures which investigated correlations between preoperative BNP levels and new onset AF of patients after CABG. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies （QUADAS） was used to evaluate study quality of included literatures. RevMan 5.0 was used for heterogeneity test. Meta-Disc 1.4 software was used for meta-analysis. Included studies were weighted and then combined. Sensitivity，specificity，diag- nostic odds ratio （DOR），positive likelihood ratio，negative likelihood ratio and corresponding 95% confidence interval（95% CI）were calculated. Summary receiver operating characteristic （SROC） curve was drawn，and the area under the SROC curve （AUC） was analyzed. Results A total of 236 studies were identi?ed，and 5 studies met the eligibility criteria including 802 patients for analysis. There were 228 patients with postoperative new onset AF，and 574 patients without postoperative AF. The quality of the included literature was relatively high. DOR of preoperative elevated BNP level with postoperative new onset AF was 4.15 with 95% CI 2.90 to 5.95. Pooled sensitivity was 0.78 with 95% CI 0.72 to 0.83，pooled specificity was 0.58 with 95% CI 0.54 to 0.58，pooled positive likelihood ratio was 1.91 with 95% CI 1.42 to 1.56，pooled negative likelihood ratio was 0.42 with 95% CI 0.32 to 0.54，and the AUC of SROC was 0.79 （Q=0.72）. Conclusion Preoperative elevated BNP level is significantly correlated with new onset AF after CABG，is a powerful predictor of postoperative AF，and can be used to predict new onset AF after CABG to a certain extent of reliability.
Objective
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation for concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) during minimally invasive valve surgery.
Methods
A total of 47 patients (26 males, 21 females, age of 42-69 years) with mitral valve disease and long-standing persistent AF received minimally invasive biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure combined with mitral valve surgery through right minithoracotomy from January 2014 to September 2015. The etiology of mitral valve disease was rheumatic (n=31) and degenerative (n=16). AF duration ranged from 2 to 11 years. Diameter of the left atrium ranged from 43 to 60 mm. Concomitant biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure was performed through right lateral minithoracotomy.
Results
All 47 patients successfully underwent this minimally invasive concomitant biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure and valve surgery. No patient needed conversion to sternotomy during the surgery. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time and cryoablation time was 95-146 (120.3±12.3) min, 82-115 (93.3±7.7) min and 32-48 (38.6±4.5) min, respectively. There was no death perioperatively. The average postoperative length of hospital stay was 5-16 (7.9±1.9) d. At discharge, 44 patients (44/47, 93.6%) maintained sinus rhythm. At a mean follow-up of 6-26 (14.4±5.4) months, sinus rhythm was maintained in 41 patients (41/47, 87.2%). Cumulative maintenance rate of normal sinus rhythm without AF recurrence at one year postoperatively was 86.3%±5.8%.
Conclusion
Biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure is safe, feasible and effective for AF during concomitant minimally invasive valve surgery.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance and safety of a novel device for left atrial appengdage (LAA) closure in dogs.
MethodsThrough the fourth left intercostal, the LAA clips were implanted at the base of LAA in six dogs. Macroscopic pathology, histopathology and biological detection were performed at 7 d, 60 d, 90 d, 180 d after implan-tation respectively.
ResultsThe devices were all successfully implanted at the base of LAA. There is no transposition of the LAA clips. Complete fibrosis and atrophy of LAA occurred at 60 d after implantation. LAA closure was completed with a new endothelial tissue layer developed on the occluded orifice of the left atrium after 60 d after implantation. The level of atrial natriuretic peptide did not decrease significantly after the device implantation (275.64±60.00 pg/ml vs. 248.34±56.10 pg/ml, P=0.529).
ConclusionThe novel device for LAA closure achieved easy, reliable and safe closure of the LAA in canine model.
