Abstract

ESTRAGO, Virginia  and  AMARAL, Mauricio. Atrial Fibrilation in Patients with Heart Failure. Arch. Med Int [online]. 2009, vol.31, n.1, pp.18-22. ISSN 0250-3816.

Congestive heart failure due to systolic dysfunction is usually the common end stage of a range of cardiovascular conditions. CHF has functional, social, therapeutic and prognostic implications. Atrial fibrillation is the most frequent supraventricular arrhythmia and its presence increases the morbi-mortality both in the general population and in the subjects presenting with CHF. Development of atrial fibrillation in CHF patients has hemodynamic and myocardial effects that favor remodeling of the left ventricle, atrio-ventricular and interventricular dysynchrony, and it further enhances any potential secondary mitral regurgitation, among other effects. Hence, the therapeutic management of atrial fibrillation in CHF has always been a challenge. The studies comparing reversal to sinus rhythm versus heart rate control have failed to show superiority of one strategy over the other with regard mortality, with or without left ventricular dysfunction

Keywords : Atrial fibrillation; Heart failure; Prognosis; Treatment.

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