Case ReportsDifferential atrial stunning after electrical cardioversion: An echo tissue doppler case study*
Section snippets
Case report
A 78-year-old woman with a history of hypertension was admitted with palpitations. There was no history of chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, dizziness, thyroid disease, alcohol intake, or smoking.
Physical examination revealed a heart rate of 72 bpm, irregularly irregular, and blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg. There was no jugular venous distension. Lungs were clear to auscultation. The heart was irregularly irregular, with point of maximal impulse in the 5th intercostal space. S1 was
Discussion
Atrial stunning after cardioversion is a well-known phenomenon. It has been described with the use of echocardiographic studies with pulsed wave mitral Doppler7 and with pulsed wave Doppler of the left atrial appendage by transesophageal echocardiography.3, 8 Atrial stunning is more commonly seen in patients undergoing electrical versus chemical cardioversion.2 This has also been associated with a higher risk of postcardioversion thromboembolism.3 In addition, the presence of atrial stunning
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Cited by (6)
In Situ Transesophageal Echocardiography During Electrical Cardioversion in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation—Safety and Echocardiographic Findings
2024, Journal of the American Society of EchocardiographyElectrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and left atrial strain imaging features of a dog with atrial flutter and third-degree atrioventricular block
2017, Journal of Veterinary CardiologyCitation Excerpt :These methods have been also used in patients with AFL to better characterize the arrhythmia and atrial mechanical function [5,6]. Recently, TDI and strain have emerged as alternative methods aimed to accurately measure myocardial deformation properties in several cardiovascular disorders, including atrial tachyarrhythmias affecting both humans and horses [7,8]. Indeed these echocardiographic methods have been shown to accurately identify abnormal mechanical atrial function and dyssynchrony in patients with AFL being able not only to predict the areas of atrial muscular abnormalities but also to quantify the degree of myocardial contractile dysfunction as a cause or consequence of the arrhythmia [9].
Electric dissociation within left atrial appendage diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography
2004, Journal of the American Society of EchocardiographyImpact of common rhythm disturbances on echocardiographic measurements and interpretation
2022, Clinical Research in CardiologyMitral annular velocity by Doppler tissue imaging for the evaluation of atrial stunning after cardioversion of atrial fibrillation
2009, International Journal of Cardiovascular ImagingRenewed Interest in Left Atrial Function: What do we Need to Evaluate Clinically?
2005, Journal of Echocardiography
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Reprint requests: Tasneem Z. Naqvi, MD, Division of Cardiology, Room 5341, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 (E-mail: [email protected]).