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Atrial septal aneurysm and cardiac arrhythmias
S Morelli1, P Voci, G Morabito
1Istituto di I Clinica Medica, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy.
Insights
Atrial septal aneurysm is linked to more frequent cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial and ventricular types. Further research is needed to confirm if this aneurysm itself causes arrhythmias.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiac Electrophysiology
Background:
- Atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) is associated with various cardiovascular conditions.
- Previous studies suggest a potential link between ASA and cardiac arrhythmias.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with atrial septal aneurysm.
- To compare arrhythmia occurrence in ASA patients versus a control group.
Main Methods:
- Twenty patients with ASA and 19 controls underwent 24-hour Holter monitoring.
- Analysis focused on the frequency of atrial premature beats, supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia.
Main Results:
- Patients with ASA showed significantly more frequent atrial premature beats (P = 0.008).
- Higher rates of supraventricular tachycardia (P = 0.044) and ventricular tachycardia (P = 0.046) were observed in the ASA group.
- Left atrial enlargement and mitral valve prolapse were also more common in patients with ASA.
Conclusions:
- Atrial and ventricular arrhythmias occur more frequently in patients with atrial septal aneurysm.
- Further studies are required to determine the arrhythmogenic potential of ASA, particularly in the absence of other echocardiographic abnormalities.
Abstract:
Atrial septal aneurysm has been associated with thromboembolic events, interatrial shunting, mitral valve prolapse, and systolic click. An association between atrial septal aneurysm and cardiac arrhythmias has been also described. Twenty patients with atrial septal aneurysm and 19 control subjects performed 24-h Holter monitoring. Frequent (> 10/h) atrial premature beats were observed in seven patients vs. none of the controls (P = 0.008). The mean number of episodes of supraventricular tachycardia and the prevalence of ventricular tachycardia were also higher in the atrial septal aneurysm group (P = 0.044 and P = 0.046, respectively). Left atrial enlargement, mitral valve prolapse and left ventricular hypertrophy were more frequent than in the normal subjects. In conclusion, atrial and ventricular 'complex' arrhythmias occurred more frequently in patients with atrial septal aneurysm than in normal subjects. Further studies in patients with atrial septal aneurysm without other associated echocardiographic abnormalities need to be done to ascertain a potential arrhythmogenicity of this condition.