Left atrial coagulation activity (TAT levels) was elevated in patients with paroxysmal AF during the non-paroxysmal period, showing no significant difference compared to chronic AF patients.
Observational (n=20)
Does coagulation activity in the left atrium differ between patients with paroxysmal AF during sinus rhythm and those with chronic AF?
Coagulation activity is elevated in the left atria of patients with paroxysmal AF even during sinus rhythm, suggesting these patients are at high risk of thromboembolism and warrant anticoagulant therapy.
BACKGROUND: Evaluation of plasma markers of thrombin activity (thrombin-antithrombin III complex: TAT), active fibrinolysis (plasmin-alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor complex: PIC), and platelet activity (platelet factor 4: PF4) is useful for identifying patients with various cardiovascular disorders who are at high risk of thromboembolism. In this study, these markers were investigated in the left atria (LA) of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) in the non-paroxysmal period. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with pAF (n=10) and chronic AF (cAF) (n=10) were enrolled. TAT, PIC, and PF4 levels were determined in blood samples obtained from the LA of AF patients before radiofrequency catheter ablation. TAT levels were high in both pAF and cAF patients. PF4 levels were slightly elevated in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the groups. On the other hand, PIC levels in both groups were almost within normal limits, again with no significant difference between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Coagulation activity is elevated in the LA of patients with pAF, even in the non-paroxysmal period, so these patients are at high risk of thromboembolism and anticoagulant therapy is indicated.
Motoki et al.（木曜日）は、発作性および慢性心房細動に関する観察研究を実施しました（n=20）。発作性心房細動（非発作期）と慢性心房細動におけるTAT、PIC、PF4の左心房レベルが評価されました。左心房の凝固活性（TATレベル）は、非発作期の発作性AF患者で上昇し、慢性AF患者と比較して有意差は見られませんでした。