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Cardiovascular Research 2002 54(2):197-203; doi:10.1016/S0008-6363(02)00324-3
© 2002 by European Society of Cardiology
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Copyright © 2002, European Society of Cardiology

Spotlight on atrial fibrillation—the ‘complete arrhythmia’

Stanley Nattela,*, Maurits Allessieb and Michel Haissaguerrec

aMontreal Heart Institute, Department of Pharmacology and Research Center, 5000 Belanger St., East, HIT IC8 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
bDepartment of Physiology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
cHôpital Cardiologique du Haut-Lévêque, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

nattel@icm.umontreal.ca

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-514-376-3330; fax: +1-514-376-1355

Received 21 February 2002; accepted 21 February 2002

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The French sometimes refer to atrial fibrillation (AF) as ‘l'arythmie complète’, which literally means ‘the complete arrhythmia’. The actual sense in French is that AF results in complete irregularity of cardiac rhythm. However, AF can also be considered the ‘complete’ arrhythmia in the sense of the consummate nature of its mechanisms and determinants. There is evidence for involvement of all forms of arrhythmia mechanisms in AF, including enhanced automaticity, delayed afterdepolarizations, early afterdepolarizations and reentry. A rich and wide range of determinants have been found to be involved in the pathophysiology of AF—various forms of ionic remodeling, structural remodeling, changes in connexin function and distribution, a whole gamut of signaling systems, anatomical determinants related to the complex three-dimensional atrial structure, hemodynamic factors and the involvement of electrical activity in the great veins. Research on the mechanisms of AF, and related therapeutic developments, has exploded over the past 10 years, and . . . [Full Text of this Article]


   1 Historical perspective
 

   2 Review articles
 
2.1 Basic concepts of AF
2.2 Atrial remodeling
2.3 Cellular electrophysiology
2.4 Role of pulmonary veins
2.5 Determinants and treatment of AF in man

   3 Original articles
 
3.1 Determinants of clinical AF
3.2 Pathophysiology of atrial-tachycardia remodeling
3.3 Experimental studies of remodeling prevention
3.4 Diverse experimental paradigms

   4 Concluding remarks
 

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