Skip Navigation

European Heart Journal 2003 24(18):1657-1662; doi:10.1016/S0195-668X(03)00393-2
Copyright © 2003 by the European Society of Cardiology.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (4)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gould, P. A
Right arrow Articles by Kaye, D. M
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gould, P. A
Right arrow Articles by Kaye, D. M
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Regular Articles

Chronic atrial fibrillation does not influence the magnitude of sympathetic overactivity in patients with heart failure

Paul A Gould, Murray D Esler and David M Kaye*

Baker Heart Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

* Correspondence to: Assoc Prof David M. Kaye, Wynn Department of Metabolic Cardiology, Baker Heart Research Institute, PO Box 6492, St Kilda Rd Central, Melbourne VIC 8008, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9276 3263; fax: +61 3 9276 2495
E-mail address: d.kaye{at}alfred.org.au

Received 2 January 2003; revised 23 June 2003; accepted 9 July 2003

Aims In this study we sought to assess the influence of atrial fibrillation (AF) on sympathetic nervous system overactivity in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients.

Methods and results We studied 133 consecutive patients with moderate to severe CHF. Subjects underwent haemodynamic assessment (right heart catheterization) and assessment of total systemic and cardiac sympathetic activity by the norepinephrine (NE) spillover method. The study population included 108 patients in sinus rhythm (SR) and 25 in AF. While AF patients had a lower cardiac output (CO) (SR vs AF: 4.2±0.1 vs 3.7±0.2l/min, P<0.05), the groups were otherwise matched for systemic blood pressure (BP), heart rate and filling pressures. In conjunction, total body NE spillover (SR vs AF: 5.8±0.4 vs 4.9±0.5nmol/min, P>0.05) and cardiac NE spillover (SR vs AF: 339±21 vs 393±49pmol/min, P>0.05) were not significantly different between the two groups, while the systemic clearance rate for NE was lower in the AF group (SR vs AF: 2.2±0.1 vs 1.6±0.1l/min, P<0.05).

Conclusion Congestive heart failure patients in AF do not appear to have heightened sympathetic tone compared to CHF patients in SR.

Key Words: Heart failure • atrial fibrillation • sympathetic activity


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Eur Heart JHome page
P. A. Gould, M. Yii, M. D. Esler, J. M. Power, and D. M. Kaye
Atrial fibrillation impairs cardiac sympathetic response to baroreceptor unloading in congestive heart failure
Eur. Heart J., December 1, 2005; 26(23): 2562 - 2567.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Heart JHome page
J. S. Floras
Atrial fibrillation and cardiac sympathetic reflexes in heart failure
Eur. Heart J., December 1, 2005; 26(23): 2490 - 2492.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.