Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Nov 1993
Impact of electrical cardioversion for atrial fibrillation on left atrial appendage function and spontaneous echo contrast: characterization by simultaneous transesophageal echocardiography.
This study assessed the function of the left atrial appendage in the pericardioversion period to gain insights into mechanisms involved in thromboembolism after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. ⋯ Organized left atrial appendage function returns in most patients immediately after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. However, its function is impaired compared with that before cardioversion. Furthermore, spontaneous echo contrast increased in 7 (35%) of 20 patients after cardioversion. These observations suggest that stunned left atrial appendage function after cardioversion may predispose the chamber to thrombus formation, which may play a role in the mechanism involved in the occurrence of embolization after cardioversion.