BACKGROUND: Although many thromboembolism risk factors are well defined, formation of thrombus or dense spontaneous contrast (sludge) in the left atrium remains enigmatic and confounding. Exclusion of the thrombus is extremely important with respect to planned reversal of sinus rhythm. Data regarding the routine transesophagal echocardiography (TEE) before cardioversion are inconclusive. The authors focused on analyzing the usefulness of TEE before cardioversion by assessment of factors influencing the risk of thrombus and/or dense spontaneous echo contrast with the intention of extending indications for TEE in the group with a high risk of thrombus or to forgo TEE in the low risk group. METHODS: Two hundred sixty-nine consecutive patients with persistent (> 48 h) atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, in whom a direct current cardioversion was planned, were undergoing TEE for the detection of the left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast. Additional clinical and echocardiographic data were collected. The relationship between both thrombus and dense spontaneous echo contrast and covariates was analyzed with the use of binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Left atrium (LA) appendage (LAA) thrombus and/or sludge were detected in 79 (29%) patients. Signs of dementia in mini-mental state examination (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.16; p = 0.005), low velocities in LAA (HR: 3.38; p = 0.032); presence of spontaneous echo contrast in LA (HR: 3.38; p = 0,003) consecutive episode of AF (HR: 2.27; p = 0,046); longer duration of atrial fibrillation (HR: 1.009; p = 0.022); were significant predictors of thrombus and/or dense spontaneous echo contrast. None of the patients with a CHA2DS2VASc score ≤ 1 had thrombus or sludge in the LAA. Among patients with a CHA2DS2VASc score > 1, the prevalence of thrombus or sludge in LAA was independent of the CHA2DS2VASc score value. CONCLUSIONS: Amongst many factors, including an established as risk for thromboembolism only a few of them increased the risk for the presence of thrombus in LAA: low velocities in LAA, presence of spontaneous echo contrast, longer duration of arrhythmia, consecutive (not first) arrhythmia episode and signs of dementia from a mini-mental state examination questionnaire. It was believed that there could be a need for an extension of indications of TEE in vast majority of the patients with atrial arrhythmias, due most often to an unpredictable occurrence of thrombus and potentially disastrous thromboembolism. The only exception could have been the group of the patients with a CHA2DS2VASc score ≤ 1.
BACKGROUND: Although many thromboembolism risk factors are well defined, formation of thrombus or dense spontaneous contrast (sludge) in the left atrium remains enigmatic and confounding. Exclusion of the thrombus is extremely important with respect to planned reversal of sinus rhythm. Data regarding the routine transesophagal echocardiography (TEE) before cardioversion are inconclusive. The authors focused on analyzing the usefulness of TEE before cardioversion by assessment of factors influencing the risk of thrombus and/or dense spontaneous echo contrast with the intention of extending indications for TEE in the group with a high risk of thrombus or to forgo TEE in the low risk group. METHODS: Two hundred sixty-nine consecutive patients with persistent (> 48 h) atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, in whom a direct current cardioversion was planned, were undergoing TEE for the detection of the left atrial thrombus or dense spontaneous echo contrast. Additional clinical and echocardiographic data were collected. The relationship between both thrombus and dense spontaneous echo contrast and covariates was analyzed with the use of binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Left atrium (LA) appendage (LAA) thrombus and/or sludge were detected in 79 (29%) patients. Signs of dementia in mini-mental state examination (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.16; p = 0.005), low velocities in LAA (HR: 3.38; p = 0.032); presence of spontaneous echo contrast in LA (HR: 3.38; p = 0,003) consecutive episode of AF (HR: 2.27; p = 0,046); longer duration of atrial fibrillation (HR: 1.009; p = 0.022); were significant predictors of thrombus and/or dense spontaneous echo contrast. None of the patients with a CHA2DS2VASc score ≤ 1 had thrombus or sludge in the LAA. Among patients with a CHA2DS2VASc score > 1, the prevalence of thrombus or sludge in LAA was independent of the CHA2DS2VASc score value. CONCLUSIONS: Amongst many factors, including an established as risk for thromboembolism only a few of them increased the risk for the presence of thrombus in LAA: low velocities in LAA, presence of spontaneous echo contrast, longer duration of arrhythmia, consecutive (not first) arrhythmia episode and signs of dementia from a mini-mental state examination questionnaire. It was believed that there could be a need for an extension of indications of TEE in vast majority of the patients with atrial arrhythmias, due most often to an unpredictable occurrence of thrombus and potentially disastrous thromboembolism. The only exception could have been the group of the patients with a CHA2DS2VASc score ≤ 1.
Authors: F A Flachskampf; L Badano; W G Daniel; R O Feneck; K F Fox; Alan G Fraser; Agnes Pasquet; M Pepi; L Perez de Isla; J L Zamorano; J R T C Roelandt; L Piérard Journal: Eur J Echocardiogr Date: 2010-08
Authors: N Calvo; L Mont; B Vidal; M Nadal; S Montserrat; D Andreu; D Tamborero; C Pare; M Azqueta; A Berruezo; J Brugada; M Sitges Journal: Europace Date: 2010-12-24 Impact factor: 5.214
Authors: Craig T January; L Samuel Wann; Joseph S Alpert; Hugh Calkins; Joaquin E Cigarroa; Joseph C Cleveland; Jamie B Conti; Patrick T Ellinor; Michael D Ezekowitz; Michael E Field; Katherine T Murray; Ralph L Sacco; William G Stevenson; Patrick J Tchou; Cynthia M Tracy; Clyde W Yancy Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2014-03-28 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: Hugh Calkins; Gerhard Hindricks; Riccardo Cappato; Young-Hoon Kim; Eduardo B Saad; Luis Aguinaga; Joseph G Akar; Vinay Badhwar; Josep Brugada; John Camm; Peng-Sheng Chen; Shih-Ann Chen; Mina K Chung; Jens Cosedis Nielsen; Anne B Curtis; D Wyn Davies; John D Day; André d'Avila; N M S Natasja de Groot; Luigi Di Biase; Mattias Duytschaever; James R Edgerton; Kenneth A Ellenbogen; Patrick T Ellinor; Sabine Ernst; Guilherme Fenelon; Edward P Gerstenfeld; David E Haines; Michel Haissaguerre; Robert H Helm; Elaine Hylek; Warren M Jackman; Jose Jalife; Jonathan M Kalman; Josef Kautzner; Hans Kottkamp; Karl Heinz Kuck; Koichiro Kumagai; Richard Lee; Thorsten Lewalter; Bruce D Lindsay; Laurent Macle; Moussa Mansour; Francis E Marchlinski; Gregory F Michaud; Hiroshi Nakagawa; Andrea Natale; Stanley Nattel; Ken Okumura; Douglas Packer; Evgeny Pokushalov; Matthew R Reynolds; Prashanthan Sanders; Mauricio Scanavacca; Richard Schilling; Claudio Tondo; Hsuan-Ming Tsao; Atul Verma; David J Wilber; Teiichi Yamane Journal: J Arrhythm Date: 2017-09-15
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Authors: Agnieszka Kapłon-Cieślicka; Monika Gawałko; Monika Budnik; Beata Uziębło-Życzkowska; Paweł Krzesiński; Katarzyna Starzyk; Iwona Gorczyca-Głowacka; Ludmiła Daniłowicz-Szymanowicz; Damian Kaufmann; Maciej Wójcik; Robert Błaszczyk; Jarosław Hiczkiewicz; Katarzyna Łojewska; Katarzyna Mizia-Stec; Maciej T Wybraniec; Katarzyna Kosmalska; Marcin Fijałkowski; Anna Szymańska; Mirosław Dłużniewski; Maciej Haberka; Michał Kucio; Błażej Michalski; Karolina Kupczyńska; Anna Tomaszuk-Kazberuk; Katarzyna Wilk-Śledziewska; Renata Wachnicka-Truty; Marek Koziński; Paweł Burchardt; Piotr Scisło; Radosław Piątkowski; Janusz Kochanowski; Grzegorz Opolski; Marcin Grabowski Journal: J Clin Med Date: 2022-05-11 Impact factor: 4.964
Authors: Sebastian Feickert; Giuseppe D Ancona; Hüseyin Ince; Kristof Graf; Elias Kugel; Monica Murero; Erdal Safak Journal: J Atr Fibrillation Date: 2020-10-31
Authors: Monika Budnik; Monika Gawałko; Iwona Gorczyca; Beata Uziębło-Życzkowska; Paweł Krzesiński; Janusz Kochanowski; Piotr Scisło; Anna Michalska; Olga Jelonek; Katarzyna Starzyk; Agnieszka Jurek; Marek Kiliszek; Beata Wożakowska-Kapłon; Grzegorz Gielerak; Krzysztof J Filipiak; Grzegorz Opolski; Agnieszka Kapłon-Cieślicka Journal: Cardiol J Date: 2020-03-24 Impact factor: 2.737