Tag Archives: atrial flutter

Dr Debjit Chatterjee Case A 65-year-old woman called an ambulance for episodes of palpitation, chest pain and dizziness over the previous three to four days. She was known to suffer from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) for a while and was on flecainide 100 mg twice daily and rivaroxaban. She thought that the present palpitations were different from her usual occasional paroxysms of AF. Her echocardiogram in the past showed structurally normal heart with preserved left ventricular function. Her coronary angiogram five years ago showed normal coronary arteries. Ambulance crew recorded two electrocardiograms (ECGs) over a period of 20 minute

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with a reported worldwide prevalence of 0.6% in men and 0.4% in women.1 AF is independently associated with a five-fold increased rate of stroke, which is comparable with the risk seen in patients with three or more other stroke risk factors.2,3 Furthermore, strokes related to AF are associated with higher rates of disability and mortality than other strokes.4-6 The cost of AF-related strokes in the UK is estimated to be around £750 million per year.7 AF-related stroke is thought to be secondary to thromboembolism from the left atrium to the cerebral circulation. Ora

Introduction Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia, affecting 1–2% of the population.1 It is associated with an increased risk of stroke and death, heart failure, reduction in quality of life, mental health problems and cognitive impairment.2 Hospitalisation is common and costly.3 Dronedarone was first approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in April 20104 for atrial fibrillation rhythm control, but following two fatal cases of liver toxicity it is contraindicated in patients with liver dysfunction, a creatinine clearance (CrCl) ≤30 ml/min, in permanent atrial fibrillation or congestive heart f