Coffee and tea are amongst the most consumed beverages worldwide, and are the main source of caffeine in adults. In this review we present findings on the effects of habitual coffee and tea ...consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. Mild-moderate coffee/ caffeine consumption, at 2–3 cups/day, is associated with beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome, including hypertension and diabetes mellitus, although may elevate lipid levels. Furthermore, coffee consumption reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmia, stroke, CVD and all cause mortality. Higher tea consumption, in particular green tea, confers similar cardiovascular benefits to coffee with 3 cups/day associated with improved survival in population based studies.
Caffeine is the world's most popular ‘drug’, with tea and coffee a ubiquitous part of daily life. As a psychoactive stimulant, there are potential concerns regarding adverse cardiovascular squeal. ...Cardiovascular conditions, encompassing hypertension, coronary artery disease, rhythm disorders and heart failure affect billions of patients worldwide. We aim to provide a patient-centered comprehensive review of the cardiovascular effects of caffeinated beverages as they pertain to various common cardiovascular conditions. We conclude that intake of tea and coffee, particularly in moderate doses, does not appear to be harmful and may even be beneficial in a range of cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, heart failure and arrhythmias.
Alcohol and Atrial Fibrillation: A Sobering Review Voskoboinik, Aleksandr; Prabhu, Sandeep; Ling, Liang-Han ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
12/2016, Letnik:
68, Številka:
23
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Alcohol is popular in Western culture, supported by a perception that modest intake is cardioprotective. However, excessive drinking has detrimental implications for cardiovascular disease. Atrial ...fibrillation (AF) following an alcohol binge or the "holiday heart syndrome" is well characterized. However, more modest levels of alcohol intake on a regular basis may also increase the risk of AF. The pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for the relationship between alcohol and AF may include direct toxicity and alcohol's contribution to obesity, sleep-disordered breathing, and hypertension. We aim to provide a comprehensive review of the epidemiology and pathophysiology by which alcohol may be responsible for AF and determine whether alcohol abstinence is required for patients with AF.
Early studies demonstrated relatively low success rates for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) alone in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF). However, the advent of new technologies and ...the observation that additional substrate ablation does not improve outcomes have created a new focus on PVI alone for treatment of PeAF.
The purpose of this study was to systematically review the recent medical literature to determine current medium-term outcomes when a PVI-only approach is used for PeAF.
An electronic database search (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane) was performed in August 2016. Only studies of PeAF patients undergoing a "PVI only" ablation strategy using contemporary radiofrequency (RF) technology or second-generation cryoballoon (CB2) were included. A random-effects model was used to assess the primary outcome of pooled single-procedure 12-month arrhythmia-free survival. Predictors of recurrence were also examined and a meta-analysis performed if ≥4 studies examined the parameter.
Fourteen studies of 956 patients, of whom 45.2% underwent PVI only with RF and 54.8% with CB2, were included. Pooled single-procedure 12-month arrhythmia-free survival was 66.7% (95% confidence interval CI 60.8%-72.2%), with the majority of patients (80.5%) off antiarrhythmic drugs. Complication rates were very low, with cardiac tamponade occurring in 5 patients (0.6%) and persistent phrenic nerve palsy in 5 CB2 patients (0.9% of CB2). Blanking period recurrence (hazard ratio 4.68, 95% CI 1.70-12.9) was the only significant predictor of recurrence.
A PVI-only strategy in PeAF patients with a low prevalence of structural heart disease using contemporary technology yields excellent outcomes comparable to those for paroxysmal AF ablation.
Objectives We sought to assess the effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) on atrial thrombogenesis in humans by determining the impact of rate and rhythm. Background Although AF is known to increase the ...risk of thromboembolic stroke from the left atrium (LA), the exact mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods We studied 55 patients with AF who underwent catheter ablation while in sinus rhythm; 20 patients were induced into AF, 20 patients were atrial paced at 150 beats/min, and 15 were control patients. Blood samples were taken from the LA, right atrium, and femoral vein at baseline and at 15 min in all 3 groups. Platelet activation (P-selectin) was measured by flow cytometry. Thrombin generation (thrombin-antithrombin TAT complex), endothelial dysfunction (asymmetric dimethylarginine ADMA), and platelet-derived inflammation (soluble CD40 ligand sCD40L) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Platelet activation increased significantly in both the AF (p < 0.001) and pacing (p < 0.05) groups, but decreased in control patients (p < 0.001). Thrombin generation increased specifically in the LA compared with the periphery in both the AF (p < 0.01) and pacing (p < 0.01) groups, but decreased in control patients (p < 0.001). With AF, ADMA (p < 0.01) and sCD40L (p < 0.001) levels increased significantly at all sites, but were unchanged with pacing (ADMA, p = 0.5; sCD40L, p = 0.8) or in control patients (ADMA, p = 0.6; sCD40L, p = 0.9). Conclusions Rapid atrial rates and AF in humans both result in increased platelet activation and thrombin generation. Prothrombotic activation occurs to a greater extent in the human LA compared with systemic circulation. AF additionally induces endothelial dysfunction and inflammation. These findings suggest that although rapid atrial rates increase the thrombogenic risk, AF may further potentiate this risk.
Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with incident atrial fibrillation and adverse atrial remodeling; however, the effect of abstinence from alcohol on secondary prevention of atrial ...fibrillation is unclear.
We conducted a multicenter, prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled trial at six hospitals in Australia. Adults who consumed 10 or more standard drinks (with 1 standard drink containing approximately 12 g of pure alcohol) per week and who had paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation in sinus rhythm at baseline were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either abstain from alcohol or continue their usual alcohol consumption. The two primary end points were freedom from recurrence of atrial fibrillation (after a 2-week "blanking period") and total atrial fibrillation burden (proportion of time in atrial fibrillation) during 6 months of follow-up.
Of 140 patients who underwent randomization (85% men; mean ±SD age, 62±9 years), 70 were assigned to the abstinence group and 70 to the control group. Patients in the abstinence group reduced their alcohol intake from 16.8±7.7 to 2.1±3.7 standard drinks per week (a reduction of 87.5%), and patients in the control group reduced their alcohol intake from 16.4±6.9 to 13.2±6.5 drinks per week (a reduction of 19.5%). After a 2-week blanking period, atrial fibrillation recurred in 37 of 70 patients (53%) in the abstinence group and in 51 of 70 patients (73%) in the control group. The abstinence group had a longer period before recurrence of atrial fibrillation than the control group (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.36 to 0.84; P = 0.005). The atrial fibrillation burden over 6 months of follow-up was significantly lower in the abstinence group than in the control group (median percentage of time in atrial fibrillation, 0.5% interquartile range, 0.0 to 3.0 vs. 1.2% interquartile range, 0.0 to 10.3; P = 0.01).
Abstinence from alcohol reduced arrhythmia recurrences in regular drinkers with atrial fibrillation. (Funded by the Government of Victoria Operational Infrastructure Support Program and others; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12616000256471.).
Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are evolving epidemics, together responsible for substantial human suffering and health-care expenditure. Ageing, improved cardiovascular survival, and ...epidemiological transition form the basis for their increasing global prevalence. Although we now have a clear picture of how HF promotes AF, gaps remain in our knowledge of how AF exacerbates or even causes HF, and how the development of HF affects the outcome of patients with AF. New data regarding HF with preserved ejection fraction and its unique relationship with AF suggest a possible role for AF in its aetiology, possibly as a trigger for ventricular fibrosis. Deciding on optimal treatment strategies for patients with both AF and HF is increasingly difficult, given that results from trials of pharmacological rhythm control are arguably obsolete in the age of catheter ablation. Restoring sinus rhythm by catheter ablation seems successful in the medium term and improves HF symptoms, functional capacity, and left ventricular function. Long-term studies to examine the effect on rates of stroke and death are ongoing. Guidelines continue to evolve to keep pace with this rapidly changing field.
Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is indicated in symptomatic patients who are intolerant or refractory to antiarrhythmic therapy. However, outcomes from catheter ablation remain ...suboptimal in patients with persistent AF. Pulmonary vein antral isolation (PVAI) is established as the cornerstone of AF ablation strategies. The landmark STAR AF II study demonstrated a lack of incremental benefit with adjunctive linear and complex fractionated electrogram ablation beyond PVAI. Randomized studies thus far have failed to consistently show favorable outcomes from other trigger/substrate‐based ablation approaches over PVAI alone. In this issue of the journal, we pose an interesting clinical scenario—of a middle‐aged female who presents with recurrent persistent AF but was found to have enduring PVAI on repeat electrophysiologic study. Which approach should be undertaken next? In this review article, we aim to provide an overview of ablation strategies beyond PVAI. Finally in light of scant randomized data to guide decision making we have approached leading experts in the field to provide their approach to this scenario.
Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between regional myocardial fibrosis and ventricular arrhythmias in patients with cardiomyopathy. Background Patients with heart ...failure are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Current guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) devices for a subgroup based on impaired left ventricular function. A significant proportion of devices never discharge, hence a more accurate method for targeting those at risk is desirable. Methods We prospectively enrolled 103 patients meeting criteria for ICD implantation for primary prevention of SCD. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed before device implantation. Regional fibrosis was identified with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Results Median follow-up was 573 days (interquartile range: 379 to 863 days). The LGE identified regional fibrosis in 31 of 61 (51%) patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) and in all 42 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). There was a 29% (9 of 31) discharge rate in the NICM group with LGE compared with a 14% (6 of 42) discharge rate in the ICM group (p = NS). There were no ICD discharges in the NICM group without LGE, which was significantly lower than the rate observed in both the ICM patients (p = 0.04) and the NICM patients with LGE (p < 0.01). Left ventricular ejection fraction was similar in patients with and without device therapy (24 ± 12% vs. 26 ± 8%, p = NS) and those with or without LGE (25 ± 9% vs. 26 ± 9%, p = NS). Conclusions Patients with advanced cardiomyopathy and myocardial fibrosis demonstrated by LGE on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging have a high likelihood of appropriate ICD therapy. Correspondingly, absence of LGE may indicate a lower risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmias.
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