Print Email Facebook Twitter Atrial extrasystoles enhance low-voltage fractionation electrograms in patients with atrial fibrillation Title Atrial extrasystoles enhance low-voltage fractionation electrograms in patients with atrial fibrillation Author van Schie, M.S. (Erasmus MC) Liao, Rongheng (Erasmus MC) Ramdat Misier, Nawin L. (Erasmus MC) Knops, Paul (Erasmus MC) Heida, Annejet (Erasmus MC) Taverne, Yannick J.H.J. (Erasmus MC) de Groot, N.M.S. (TU Delft Signal Processing Systems; Erasmus MC) Date 2023 Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Atrial extrasystoles (AES) provoke conduction disorders and may trigger episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the direction- and rate-dependency of electrophysiological tissue properties on epicardial unipolar electrogram (EGM) morphology is unknown. Therefore, this study examined the impact of spontaneous AES on potential amplitude, -fractionation, -duration, and low-voltage areas (LVAs), and correlated these differences with various degrees of prematurity and aberrancy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Intra-operative high-resolution epicardial mapping of the right and left atrium, Bachmann's Bundle, and pulmonary vein area was performed during sinus rhythm (SR) in 287 patients (60 with AF). AES were categorized according to their prematurity index (>25% shortening) and degree of aberrancy (none, mild/opposite, moderate and severe). In total, 837 unique AES (457 premature; 58 mild/opposite, 355 moderate, and 154 severe aberrant) were included. The average prematurity index was 28% [12-45]. Comparing SR and AES, average voltage decreased (-1.1 [-1.2, -0.9] mV, P < 0.001) at all atrial regions, whereas the amount of LVAs and fractionation increased (respectively, +3.4 [2.7, 4.1] % and +3.2 [2.6, 3.7] %, P < 0.001). Only weak or moderate correlations were found between EGM morphology parameters and prematurity indices (R2 < 0.299, P < 0.001). All parameters were, however, most severely affected by either mild/opposite or severely aberrant AES, in which the effect was more pronounced in AF patients. Also, there were considerable regional differences in effects provoked by AES. CONCLUSION: Unipolar EGM characteristics during spontaneous AES are mainly directional-dependent and not rate-dependent. AF patients have more direction-dependent conduction disorders, indicating enhanced non-uniform anisotropy that is uncovered by spontaneous AES. Subject AnisotropyAtrial extrasystoleAtrial fibrillationConduction disordersFractionationHigh-resolution epicardial mappingLow-voltage areasPotential morphologySinus rhythmUnipolar voltage To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:c5adf03f-d502-4605-9905-b5958c91f017 DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euad223 ISSN 1099-5129 Source Europace, 25 (9) Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2023 M.S. van Schie, Rongheng Liao, Nawin L. Ramdat Misier, Paul Knops, Annejet Heida, Yannick J.H.J. Taverne, N.M.S. de Groot Files PDF euad223.pdf 9.8 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:c5adf03f-d502-4605-9905-b5958c91f017/datastream/OBJ/view