New perspective on atrial fibrillation: A theoretical assumption

Vladimir Tilman
2016 Journal of Integrative Cardiology  
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice. Many studies have investigated the cause for the development of AF, however, the question remains unanswered. Recently the hypothesis was proposed that atrial fibrillation is a protective physiological mechanism, based on the termination of atrial mechanical systole. This reduces the pressure in the system of the pulmonary veins and alveolar capillaries in pathological situations, and thus reduces the
more » ... for development of pulmonary congestion and edema. This hypothesis explains the relationship between left ventrical (LV) dysfunction and AF, helps to build algorithms of relationships between AF and LV dysfunction, and with various diseases and conditions, suggests a new approach to the location of the source of AF and shows a protective function of the atriums in the development of LV dysfunction. The hypothesis is well correlated with the known facts and phenomenons associated with AF. It is known that atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice and is most often associated with LV dysfunction / heart failure(HF). It is called the epidemic of the century. An arrhythmia that is particulary common in the elderly, AF is growing in prevalence with the ageing of the population. In addition to age, there are many types of cardiac and medical conditions that are also closely linked to AF. These include hypertention, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart diseases, hyperthyroidism and so on. Many studies on the subject: "AF -a cause or consequence?" have been carried out, however the question remains unanswered [1].
doi:10.15761/jic.1000182 fatcat:tbo7wzxtvvav3j45pt3qzhgniq