Patient characteristics
| Patients (n) | 31 |
| Mean age (years) | 64.6±1.6 (45–79) |
| Men | 15 (48.4%) |
| Women | 16 (51.6%) |
| History of coronary artery disease | 3 (9.7%) |
| Mild valve disease | 4 (12.9%) |
| Hypertension* | 18 (58.1%) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 5 (16.1%) |
| Cigarette smoking | 10 (32.3%) |
| Dyslipidaemia† | 5 (16.1%) |
| Ventricular rate at presentation (beats per minute) | 118±3 (91–152) |
| NT-proBNP level at presentation (pg/ml) | 1553±212 (105–3628) |
| Peak NT-proBNP level (pg/ml) | 2126±170 (621–3628) |
| Time from onset of AF to presentation (h) | 8.7±1.1 (1.0–20.0) |
| Time from onset of AF to peak NT-proBNP (h) | 16.7±0.7 (9.0–26.0) |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction (%) | 58±1 (48–65) |
| Right ventricular systolic pressure (mmHg) | 28.8±1.3 (15.0–41.0) |
| Left atrial diameter (mm) | 41.1±0.6 (34.0–49.0) |
| Left atrial volume (ml) | 61.3±1.1 (51.0–72.0) |
Continuous variables are expressed as mean±1 SE of the mean and range.
Categorical variables are expressed as counts and percentages.
↵* Systolic blood pressure >140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure >90 mmHg or receiving antihypertensive therapy.
↵† Low-density lipoprotein >100 mg/dl in patients with coronary artery disease or equivalent <160 mg with Framingham 10-ye risk <10%, <130 mg/dl with Framingham 10-year risk of 10–20%, HDL<40 mg/dl and/or triglyceride level>200 mg/dl.
AF, atrial fibrillation; NT-proBNP, amino-terminal pro-B natriuretic peptide.