RELATION OF LEFT ATRIAL SPONTANEOUS ECHO CONTRAST PRETHROMBOTIC STATEIN ATRIAL-FIBRILLATION ASSOCIATED WITH SYSTEMIC HYPERTENSION, IDIOPATHIC DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY, OR NO IDENTIFIABLE CAUSE (LONE)

To investigate the association of left atrial (LA) spontaneous echo co ntrast with the hemostatic state in nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation ( AF), we examined the plasma levels of prothrombin fragment 1+2 and fib rinopeptide A in 73 patients with chronic nonrheumatic AF undergoing t ransesophageal echocardiography and 38 age-matched normal subjects. Th e results support the theory that LA spontaneous echo contrast in nonr heumatic AF is associated with a hypercoagulable state, especially in patients with marked LA spontaneous echo contrast.