BACKGROUND: Restrictive diastolic filling pattern is associated with increased mortality in patients with myocardial infarction and heart failure. Most studies have excluded patients with atrial fibrillation. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic value of a restrictive filling pattern in patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS: Doppler echocardiography including pulsed wave Doppler assessment of transmitral flow was performed in 880 patients with a clinical diagnosis of heart failure on hospital admission. Filling was considered restrictive when the mitral deceleration time