Join Digital Education Committee member and podcast host Melissa E. Middeldorp, MPH, PhD, along with this week’s guest contributors, Joshua Silverstein MD, FHRS from Allegheny Health Network and Jonathan Ariyaratnam, BChir, MA, MB, CCDS, CEPS-A from the University of Adelaidefor this week’s episode.
| This study by Vad and colleagues examined markers of atrial cardiomyopathy (AtCM) in 26,467 UK Biobank participants without prior atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), or stroke, integrating cardiac MRI, ECG, clinical risk factors, and genetic data. AtCM was defined using four markers: left atrial dilation, reduced left atrial emptying fraction (<45%), prolonged P-wave duration (>120 ms), and abnormal P-wave terminal force and 15.7% of individuals had at least one marker, while 2.3% had two or more. Over a median follow-up of nearly five years, the presence of AtCM markers showed a dose–response relationship with incident AF, with a HR: 4.59 in those with ≥2 markers and was also strongly associated with HF and ischemic stroke. Adding AtCM markers to clinical and genetic risk models improved AF risk prediction, supporting the concept that atrial cardiomyopathy may represent a common substrate linking AF, HF, and stroke and may help refine future risk stratification strategies. |
Learning Objectives
- Understand how imaging- and ECG-based markers of atrial cardiomyopathy are defined and how they relate to the risk of incident AF, heart failure, and stroke.
- Evaluate how integrating atrial cardiomyopathy markers with clinical and genetic risk scores may improve risk stratification for AF and related cardiovascular outcomes.
Article Authors
Oliver B Vad, Nick van Vreeswijk, Ahmed S Yassin, Yuri Blaauw, Christian Paludan-Müller, Jørgen K Kanters, Claus Graff, Ulrich Schotten, Emelia J Benjamin, Jesper H Svendsen, Michiel Rienstra
Podcast Contributors
Melissa E. Middeldorp, MPH, PhD
Joshua R. Silverstein, MD, FHRS
Jonathan Ariyaratnam, BChir, MA, MB, CCDS, CEPS-A
Speaker and Article Information: Download
Listen on HRS365
Listen on iHeart
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Topic
- The Lead
Resource Type
- Podcasts
Related Resources
The Lead
Podcasts
The Lead Episode 139: Improving Outcomes of Atrial Fibrillation Ablation by Integrated Personalized Lifestyle Interventions: A Randomized Control Trial
March 5, 2026
The Lead
Podcasts
The Lead Episode 138: A Discussion of A Discussion of Safety, Efficacy, and Mid-Term Outcomes of Pulsed Field Ablation for Cavotricuspid Isthmus–Dependent Flutter: Real-World Data From a Major Health System Registry
February 26, 2026
The Lead
Podcasts
The Lead Episode 137: A Discussion of Impact of Hospital VT Ablation Volume on Post-Procedural Complications
February 19, 2026