The impact of acute atrial fibrillation on the prothrombotic state in patients with essential hypertension

ObjectivesTo investigate whether acute atrial fibrillation (AF) creates a prothrombotic state in hypertensive patients, and to assess the evolution in research indices after cardioversion.Design and methodsPlasma levels of von Willebrand factor (vWf), soluble P-selectin and fibrin D-dimers were measured in hypertensive patients with acute AF pre-cardioversion and at 1, 7, 14, and 30 days post-cardioversion. The results were compared with hypertensive controls and healthy controls.ResultsPre-cardioversion plasma vWf levels in acute AF patients were similar to those of controls; however, post-cardioversion, the vWf levels increased significantly and only returned to baseline levels 14 days later. Compared with controls, acute AF patients had higher levels of fibrin D-dimers, which lasted at least 14 days after cardioversion.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that hypertensive patients with acute AF have an abnormal prothrombotic state, which persists for up to 14 days after cardioversion.