Baseline characteristics of the 342 patients
| Characteristic | All patients | |
|---|---|---|
| Male/female (n) | 188/154 | |
| Age (years) (mean (SD)) | 62 (12) | |
| < 57 | 89 (26) | |
| 57–64 | 72 (21) | |
| 64–71 | 92 (27) | |
| ⩾ 71 | 89 (26) | |
| Underlying heart disease1-150 | ||
| Coronary artery disease | 84 (25) | |
| Rheumatic heart disease | 70 (21) | |
| Mitral valve disease, non-rheumatic | 28 (8) | |
| Aortic valve disease, non-rheumatic | 22 (6) | |
| Hypertension | 58 (17) | |
| Dilated cardiomyopathy | 26 (8) | |
| Other aetiology1-151 | 60 (18) | |
| Lone AF | 69 (20) | |
| Duration of AF (months) (median (range)) | 9 (0.1 to 420) | |
| < 3 | 79 (23) | |
| 3–9 | 89 (27) | |
| 9–36 | 80 (24) | |
| ⩾ 36 | 87 (26) | |
| Previous AF episodes (mean (SD)) | 2 (1) | |
| NYHA class I/II/III | 112/155/75 | |
| (33/45/22) | ||
| Left atrial size (mm) (mean (SD)) | 46 (8) | |
| LVEDD (mm) (mean (SD)) | 52 (8) | |
| LVESD (mm) (mean (SD)) | 37 (9) | |
| Fractional shortening (mean (SD)) | 0.30 (0.09) | |
Values are n (%) unless otherwise stated.
↵1-150 More than one underlying disease per patient was scored.
↵1-151 Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hyperthyroidism.
AF, atrial fibrillation; LVEDD, left ventricular end diastolic diameter; LVESD, left ventricular end systolic diameter; NYHA, New York Heart Association.