Skip Navigation


European Heart Journal Advance Access originally published online on June 27, 2008
European Heart Journal 2008 29(17):2182; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn290
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
29/17/2182    most recent
ehn290v1
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 arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Foley, P. W.X.
Right arrow Articles by Leyva, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Foley, P. W.X.
Right arrow Articles by Leyva, F.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2008. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Long-term survival in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy: the importance of atrio-ventricular junction ablation in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation

Paul W.X. Foley

University of Birmingham
Good Hope Hospital
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Rectory Road
Sutton Coldfield
B75 7RR
UK

Francisco Leyva

University of Birmingham
Good Hope Hospital
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Rectory Road
Sutton Coldfield
B75 7RR
UK
Tel: +44 121 424 9369
Fax: +44 121 424 7804

Email: francisco.leyva{at}heartofengland.nhs.uk

We read with interest the article by Gasparini et al.1 on the effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (AF). In this registry study of patients with AF undergoing CRT, atrioventricular junction (AVJ) ablation 2 months after implantation was associated with a prognostic advantage over rate-slowing drugs. This study has emerged in the context of our findings of a similar mortality and morbidity outcome in non-ablated patients with AF and patients with sinus rhythm undergoing CRT.2

One important difference between Gasparini's study and ours is the use of ventricular-triggered pacing. While in Gasparini's study this pacing mode was used when available, it was employed in all the patients included in our study. Although ventricular-triggered pacing produces fused beats rather than true biventricular pacing, it could conceivably be superior to the ventricular demand mode. We eagerly await the findings of randomized trials of AVJ ablation in patients with AF undergoing CRT. We wonder whether, on the basis of the findings from our observational study, such randomized trials should also address the effects of the ventricular-triggered mode.

References

  1. Gasparini M, Auricchio A, Metra M, Regoli F, Fantoni C, Lamp B, Curnis A, Vogt J, Klersy C, for the Multicentre Longitudinal Observational Study G. Long-term survival in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy: the importance of atrio-ventricular junction ablation in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. Eur Heart J (2008) 29:1644–1652. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn133.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Khadjooi K, Foley P, Anthony J, Chalil S, Smith R, Frenneaux M, Leyva F. Long-term effects of cardiac resynchronisation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation. Heart (2008) 94:879–883.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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



This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
29/17/2182    most recent
ehn290v1
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 arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Foley, P. W.X.
Right arrow Articles by Leyva, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Foley, P. W.X.
Right arrow Articles by Leyva, F.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?