Is Patent Foramen Ovale Increasing Atrial Premature Contraction Frequency?

Some studies have reported that increased APC increases AF risk in patients with atrial septal defects. Methods: Subjects with suspected PFO who had been referred to our cardiology clinic for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and underwent 24-hour heart rhythm monitoring between April 2014 and August 2017 were evaluated for possible inclusion in the study. Variable\Group PFO (−) group PFO (+) group p Age, years (mean ± SD) 26.4 ± 3.5 25.3 ± 3.4 0.169 Female, n (%) 26 (45.6) 31 (54.4) 0.964 Body mass index, mean ± SD 22.7 ± 2 23.4 ± 1.7 0.097 TAD, mm (mean ± SD) 26.18 ± 2.4 36.64 ± 1.6 0.314 RVBD, mm (mean ± SD) 29.6 ± 3.9 30.8 ± 2.7 0.089 RVMD, mm (mean ± SD) 27.7 ± 4.3 28.1 ± 2.7 0.279 RVLD, mm (mean ± SD) 63 ± 11.6 62.9 ± 9.5 0.425 RVEDA, mm2 (mean ± SD) 20.79 ± 4.2 21 ± 3.2 0.128 RVEDAI, mm2/m2 (mean ± SD) 11.6 ± 2 12 ± 3.2 0.09 RVESA, mm2 (mean ± SD) 8.84 ± 2 9 ± 1.9 0.726 RVESAI, mm2/m2 (mean ± SD) 5.1 ± 1.1 5.2 ± 1.8 0.432 FAC, % 57 ± 4.8 58 ± 5.7 0.643 APC, beats/24 hours, (mean ± SD) 13.2 ± 8.9 18.1 ± 11.8 0.033 Table 1 Baseline characteristics, echocardiographic right ventricular measurements, and 24 hours atrial premature contractions counts of the study subjects