Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
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Recent studies have suggested an emerging link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients with OSA are less likely to remain in sinus rhythm after radiofrequency catheter ablation of AF. ⋯ Patients with untreated OSA have a higher recurrence of AF after ablation. Appropriate treatment with CPAP in patients with OSA is associated with a lower recurrence of AF.
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Sudden death (SD) in young competitive athletes due to cardiovascular disease is an important community issue with relevance to designing effective screening initiatives. However, the frequency with which these tragic events occur importantly affects considerations for selecting the most appropriate screening strategy. ⋯ In this high school athlete population, risk of cardiovascular SD was small, in the range of 1:150,000 participants/year. Based on autopsy data, only about 30% of the SDs were due to diseases that could be reliably detected by preparticipation screening, even with 12-lead electrocardiograms.
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We studied the effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation at the tragus, the anterior protuberance of the outer ear, for inhibiting atrial fibrillation (AF). ⋯ LL-TS can reverse RAP-induced atrial remodeling and inhibit AF inducibility, suggesting a potential noninvasive treatment of AF.