Effect of atrial fibrillation on exercise capacity in mitral stenosis

• Published in: The American journal of cardiology 1995-08, Vol.76 (4), p.282-286
• Main Authors: Triposkiadis, Filippos, Trikas, Athanasios, Tentolouris, Konstantinos, Pitsavos, Christos, Chlapoutakis, Emmanuel, Kyriakidis, Michael, Gialafos, John, Toutouzas, Pavlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atrial Fibrillation - complications; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiac arrhythmia; Cardiac dysrhythmias; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular disease; Case-Control Studies; Echocardiography, Doppler; Exercise; Exercise Tolerance; Female; Heart; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Hemodynamics; Humans; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mitral Valve; Mitral Valve Stenosis - complications; Mitral Valve Stenosis - physiopathology; Mitral Valve Stenosis - surgery; Oxygen Consumption; Postoperative Period
• ISSN: 0002-9149; 1879-1913
• DOI: 10.1016/S0002-9149(99)80082-4

To determine the preoperative and postoperative effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) on exercise capacity in mitral stenosis, 12 digitalized patients in AF (7 women and 5 men, age 52 ± 6.1 years) and 10 in sinus rhythm (5 women and 5 men, age 46 ± 5 years) underwent maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing according to Weber's protocol and Doppler echocardiographic examination before and at 3 and 6 months after mitral valve replacement. The ratio of right ventricular acceleration to ejection time was used as an estimate of mean pulmonary artery pressure. Preoperative exercise duration (6.8 ± 1 vs 8 ± 2 minutes), peak oxygen consumption (9.7 ± 3 vs 12.3 ± 3 ml/kg/min), and right ventricular acceleration to ejection time ratio (0.34 0.07 vs 0.34 ± 0.08) were not significantly different between patients with AF and those in sinus rhythm. Postoperative improvement in these parameters was lower in patients with AF than in those in sinus rhythm: exercise duration at 3 months, 7.5 ± 2 vs 11.9 ± 2 minutes (p