Background
Contemporary registries on atrial fibrillation (AF) are scare in North African countries.
Hypothesis
In the context of the epidemiological transition, prevalence of valvular AF in Tunisia has decreased and the quality of management is still suboptimal.
Methods
NATURE‐AF is a prospective Tunisian registry, involving consecutive patients with AF from March 1, 2017 to May 31, 2017, with a one‐year follow‐up period. All the patients with an Electrocardiogram‐documented AF, confirmed in the year prior to enrolment were eligible. The epidemiological characteristics and outcomes were described.
Results
A total of 915 patients were included in this study, with a mean age of 64.3 ± 22 years and a male/female sex ratio of 0.93. Valvular AF was identified in 22.4% of the patients. The mean CHA2DS2VASC score in nonvalvular AF was 2.4 ± 1.6. Monotherapy with antiplatelet agents was prescribed for 13.8% of the patients. However, 21.7% of the subjects did not receive any antithrombotic agent. Oral anticoagulants were prescribed for half of the patients with a low embolic risk score. In 341 patients, the mean time in therapeutic range was 48.87 ± 28.69%. Amiodarone was the most common antiarrhythmic agent used (52.6%). During a 12‐month follow‐up period, 15 patients (1.64%) had thromboembolism, 53 patients (5.8%) had major hemorrhage, and 52 patients (5.7%) died.
Conclusions
NATURE‐AF has provided systematic collection of contemporary data regarding the epidemiological and clinical characteristics as well as the management of AF by cardiologists in Tunisia. Valvular AF is still prevalent and the quality of anticoagulation was suboptimal.
Hydatidosis is a parasitic infection due to the development of the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus. It is still a public health problem in endemic countries, particularly around the Mediterranean. The diagnosis is sometimes delayed. This depends on the hydatid site and the on the symptoms. But it relies essentially on the existing imaging techniques. The cardiac localization is rare. In most of the cases it is found on the left ventricle (LV). We report the case of an intramyocardial hydatidosis in a 57-year-old patient who had been suffering from an on-exertion dyspnea with chest pain for over 5 years. The patient underwent a resection of the cyst by sternotomy under extracorporeal circulation. Albendazole, an anti-parasitic medical treatment, was prescribed postoperatively. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of pericardial hydatid cyst. Postoperative control imaging demonstrated an intra-myocardial residual cyst.
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