Electrode Basket Catheter (electrode + basket_catheter)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Effect of Electrical and Structural Remodeling on Spatiotemporal Organization in Acute and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 10 2002
JOSEPH G. AKAR M.D.
Spatiotemporal Organization in Atrial Fibrillation.Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) may originate from discrete sites of periodic activity. We studied the effect of structural and electrical remodeling on spatiotemporal organization in acute and persistent AF. Methods and Results: Atrial effective refractory periods (AERPs) were recorded from five different sites at baseline and after pacing in acute AF (n = 8 dogs) and persistent AF (n = 8). Four persistent AF dogs subsequently were cardioverted to sinus rhythm to allow AERP recovery. Periodicity was quantified by calculating power spectra on left atrial electrograms obtained from a 64-electrode basket catheter. Left atrial size was measured by intracardiac echocardiography and structural changes were assessed by electron microscopy. Mean AERPs decreased after pacing in acute (128 ± 16 msec to 108 ± 29 msec, P < 0.001) and persistent AF (135 ± 16 msec to 104 ± 24 msec, P < 0.0001). AERP recovery was established after 7 days of sinus rhythm. Structural changes were mild in acute AF, severe in persistent AF, and remained severe after AERP recovery. A single dominant frequency was identified in 94% of acute AF bipoles, 57% in persistent AF, and 76% after AERP recovery. Average correlation coefficient was 0.82 among acute AF bipoles, 0.63 in persistent AF, and 0.73 after AERP recovery. Conclusion: Transition from acute to persistent AF is associated with loss of spatiotemporal organization. A single dominant frequency recruits the majority of the left atrium in acute AF. Persistent AF, however, is associated with structural remodeling and dominant frequency dispersion. Recovery of refractoriness only partially restores spatiotemporal organization, indicating a major role for structural remodeling in the maintenance of persistent AF. [source]


Characterization of Paroxysmal and Persistent Atrial Fibrillation in the Human Left Atrium During Initiation and Sustained Episodes

JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2002
GJIN NDREPEPA M.D.
Characterization of AF in the LA.Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) in the left atrium (LA) is poorly defined in terms of regional differences in the degree of organization, characteristics of paroxysmal and persistent variants, and electrophysiologic events that develop at the onset of episodes. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 21 patients (15 men and 6 women; mean age 58 ± 9.4 years) with paroxysmal (10 patients) or persistent (11 patients) AF. Mapping of the LA during sustained episodes and the onset of AF was performed with a 64-electrode basket catheter. At the onset of AF, repetitive beats starting with atrial premature complexes and ending with generation of the earliest fibrillatory activity were defined as intermediary rhythm. Patients with paroxysmal AF had longer AF cycle lengths and more pronounced regional differences than patients with persistent AF. In total, AF cycle lengths in the LA in patients with persistent AF were 20% shorter than in patients with paroxysmal AF. Initiation of AF was preceded by an intermediary rhythm of 5.5 ± 2.5 cycles (6.3 ± 2.7 cycles in paroxysmal AF vs 4.2 ± 1.0 cycles in persistent AF; P = 0.026). At the onset of AF, the earliest generators of fibrillatory activity were located more frequently in the posterior wall of the LA. Conclusion: AF in the LA displays substantial regional differences in terms of AF cycle lengths and degree of organization. Patients with persistent AF have shorter cycle lengths and a higher degree of disorganized activity than patients with paroxysmal AF. Intermediary rhythms play an important role in initiation of AF via activation of generator regions in the LA. [source]


Dissociation Between Coronary Sinus and Left Atrial Conduction in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter

JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2001
GJIN NDREPEPA M.D.
Dissociation Between CS and LA Conduction.Introduction: Coronary sinus (CS) recordings are routinely used during electrophysiologic studies for various supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias with the understanding that they represent left atrial (LA) activity. However, the behavior of CS electrical activity during atrial arrhythmias has not drawn any special attention beyond standard considerations. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 9 patients (3 women; mean age 59 ± 11 years) with atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter (AFL) who developed dissociation of conduction between the CS and posterior LA during spontaneous AF and AFL. In all patients, the LA and the CS were mapped using a 64-electrode basket catheter and a multipolar electrode catheter, respectively. The right atrium (RA) was mapped simultaneously using a 24-polar electrode catheter (7 patients) or a 64-electrode basket catheter (2 patients). Eight patients showed stable double potentials in CS recordings during AF (9 episodes) and AFL (3 episodes). During ongoing arrhythmias, the first row of potentials maintained a constant relationship with the RA activity, whereas the second row of potentials was discordant with the posterior wall of the LA in 7 patients and concordant in 2 patients. In 1 patient with counterclockwise AFL, CS activation was isolated from the posterior wall of the RA until it reached the distal portion of the CS, after which it entered the lateral region of the LA. In 1 patient, a macroreentrant LA tachycardia involving CS muscle was observed. Rapid atrial pacing from the proximal CS and extrastimuli produced longitudinal dissociation of CS activation in all patients. Conclusion: Conduction between the CS and posterior LA can be dissociated during spontaneous atrial arrhythmias and provocative proximal CS pacing. [source]


Pulmonary Vein Internal Electrical Activity Does Not Contribute to the Maintenance of Atrial Fibrillation

PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2003
GJIN NDREPEPA
Whether the electrical activity generated in the pulmonary veins (PVs) during atrial fibrillation (AF) contributes to the maintenance of arrhythmia is not known. The study population consisted of 22 patients (mean age 58 ± 9.5 years, 16 men) with persistent (12 patients) or intermittent (10 patients) AF. Mapping of the left atrium (LA) was performed with a 64-electrode basket catheter. PVs were mapped simultaneously with the LA with a quadripolar catheter. PV were defined as arrhythmogenic (if frequent ectopic activity induced AF) or nonarrhythmogenic (if no ectopic activity was observed during the procedure). AF cycle lengths in arrhythmogenic and nonarrhythmogenic PV were 130 ± 50 ms and 152 ± 42 ms, respectively(P < 0.001). Both were significantly longer than simultaneous AF activity recorded from the posterior wall of the LA(116 ± 49 ms, P < 0.001). AF cycle lengths in arrhythmogenic PVs as compared to nonarrhythmogenic PVs were: right superior PV 125 ± 49 ms versus 148 ± 51 ms ; left superior PV 140 ± 52 ms versus 161 ± 30 ms ; left inferior PV 127 ± 48 ms versus 147 ± 45 ms ; and right inferior PV 129 ± 38 versus 152 ± 44 ms (P < 0.001for all four comparisons). AF activity in the PV was more organized than in the posterior wall of the LA and the veins were activated in a proximal-to-distal direction during sustained AF episodes. In patients with AF not related to rheumatic heart disease, the posterior wall of the LA has faster activity than the PVs. The AF activity generated inside the PV during sustained AF episodes originates from the posterior wall of the LA rather than from focal firing. (PACE 2003; 26:1356,1362) [source]