Valencia SJS, Arriaga NR, Navarro RJR, Martínez EA

Language: Spanish
References: 22
Page: 28-33
PDF size: 48.42 Kb.

ABSTRACT

We studied 80 patients to evaluate the safety of the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) as a guidance to identify spontaneous echo contrast or atrial thrombosis in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). 34 out of these patients were men and 46 women, with a mean age of 61 ± 12 years. Five were not candidates due to the presence of risk factors. 75 patients have undergone electric cardioversion. The duration of AF was ‹ 2 weeks in 61 ≥ 2 and ‹ 6 weeks 13, and ≥ 6 weeks and ‹ 1 year 6; 24 patients received previous anticoagulant therapy. The echocardiographic findings revealed left atrial dimension 45 ± 8.4 mm ejection fraction of left ventricle 61 ± 7.5%, SEC absent in the left atrium of 35, mild in 40 and severe in 5 patients, flow in left atrial appendage in 78 patients, thrombi in 2. EC was performed with 200 Joules in all patients and it was successful in 74. The study lasted 8.7 ± 5.7 months; 11 patients were recurrent. The predictors were: left atrial dimension › 50 mm (p › 0.05), › 2 EC performed (p = 0.02), ‹ 200 joules (p = 0.05) and in patients with AF ≤ 2 weeks. We concluded that the TEE is beneficial to detect risk factors in patients with AF, and it helps when deciding to perform the EC early and safely without previous anticoagulation.

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