Heart rate variability and recurrence of atrial fibrillation after electrical cardioversion |
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| Authors: | Saila Vikman Timo H Mäkikallio Sinikka Yli‐Mäyry Marita Nurmi KE Juhani Airaksinen Heikki V Huikuri |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University Hospital of Tampere, University of Tampere, Finland;2. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Tampere. PL 2000, FI‐33521 Tampere, Finland. Fax: 358‐3‐2474157;3. E‐mail: saila.vikman@pshp.fi;4. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Oulu, Finland;5. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Turku, Finland. |
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| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Heart rate (HR) variability has been shown to predict spontaneous onset of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study was designed to test the hypothesis that HR variability after electrical cardioversion (CV) of persistent AF predicts the recurrence of AF. METHODS: Various time and frequency domain measures of HR variability, along with the non‐linear measures of HR dynamics, were analyzed from the 24‐hour ECG recordings in 78 patients with persistent AF after restoration of sinus rhythm with electrical CV. RESULTS: During the follow‐up of one month, 27 patients (35%) had recurrence of AF. The patients with AF recurrence had significantly higher standard deviation of all R‐R intervals (SDNN 117?±?34versus100?±?29P ?versus5.3?±?0.7P ?versus5.6?±?0.9P ?versus6.5?±?0.8P ? P ?P ?P ? CONCLUSIONS: Increased HR variability in all major power spectral bands is associated with late recurrence of AF after electrical CV. Enhanced cardiac vagal outflow, reflected as an increased HF power spectral component, seems to predict specifically the early recurrence of AF after the CV. |
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| Keywords: | atrial fibrillation cardioversion heart rate variability recurrence |
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