The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Use of transesophageal echocardiography to guide cardioversion in patients with atrial fibrillation.
The conventional treatment strategy for patients with atrial fibrillation who are to undergo electrical cardioversion is to prescribe warfarin for anticoagulation for three weeks before cardioversion. It has been proposed that if transesophageal echocardiography reveals no atrial thrombus, cardioversion may be performed safely after only a short period of anticoagulant therapy. ⋯ The use of transesophageal echocardiography to guide the management of atrial fibrillation may be considered a clinically effective alternative strategy to conventional therapy for patients in whom elective cardioversion is planned.