Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Angiology, cilt.56, sa.5, ss.593-599, 2005 (SCI-Expanded)
Thromboembolic risk of atrial flutter (AFI) types has not been elucidated sufficiently in previous reports. The authors classified the patients according to surface electrocardiogram and electrophysiologic characteristics as those with typical AFI (37 patients, 78.4% male, mean age 59.8 ±9.5 years) and atypical AFI (13 patients, 69.2% male, mean age 60.9 ±6.9 years) and compared them regarding some clinical, echocardiographic, and hematologic parameters. An age- and gender-matched control group composed of 20 individuals without any organic heart disease in sinus rhythm was chosen (80% male, mean age 60.3 ±7.9 years). Clinical features such as age, gender, organic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, AFI duration, and the prevalence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were similar in both AFI groups. Echocardiographic parameters such as left ventricular ejection fraction, left atrial (LA) diameter, LA spontaneous echo contrast, and LA appendage emptying velocities were similar in both AFI groups. Fibrinogen, fibrin D-dimer, and thrombin-antithrombin III levels reflecting coagulation system activity were found to be increased in the patients with atypical AFI when compared with those with typical AFI and the control group (p<0.001). In Pearson's correlation analysis, significant correlation between these hematologic markers and clinical and echocardiographic parameters meters were not found (p>0.05). The coagulation system activity was found to be increased in patients with atypical AFI. Thus, anticoagulation due to the increased thromboembolic risk should be considered in patients with atypical AFI. ©2005 Westminster Publications, Inc.