“…If this period is exceeded, successful restoration of a normal sinus rhythm is generally not possible. The authors' personal experiences validates this safety period (Millham and Grindlinger, 1919;Coimbra et al, 1921;Ivatury et al 1981Ivatury et al , 1987Gervin and Fischer, 1982;Bodai et al, 1983;Rohman et al, 1983;Mattox et al, 1985;Demetriades et al, 1990;Esposito et al, 1991;Durham et al, 1992;Lorenz et al, 1992;Asensio et al, 1996).…”