Article
Effect of Antiarrhythmic Drugs on Spatial and Temporal Variation of Fibrillation Cycle Length in Patients with Persistent Atrial Fibrillation -Spectral Analyses of Fibrillation Waves of Surface ECG-
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Published: | February 8, 2007 |
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Background: Fibrillation cycle length (FCL) and FCL dispersion between the left and right atrium were decreased in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation(AF) by analyzing with endocardial electrograms. In this study, the effect of antiarrhythmic drugs (amiodarone, sotalol and bepridil) on left and right atrial FCL was determined in patients with persistent AF using spectral analyses of surface ECG.
Method: In 22 patients with persistent AF (11 patients with rate control and 11 patients with antiarrhythmic drugs), spectral analyses of fibrillation wave were performed using V1 lead (right atrial component) and V8 lead (at the same level with V4 in the posterior chest, left atrial component) of surface ECG to determine FCL and its coefficient of variation (CV).
Results: In both groups, FCL did not differ significantly between V1 and V8 (rate control group, 149±17 and 163±41msec, n.s., ; rhythm control group, 199±25 and 198±34msec, n.s., respectively). Antiarrhythmic drugs prolonged FCL as compared with rate control group in both V1 and V8 (P=0.003 and 0.007, respectively). In rate control group, CV was greater in V8 than in V1 (28±10% vs 10±6%, P=0.001). However, CV did not differ between V8 and V1 in rhythm control group (16±11% vs 12±7%, n.s.).
Conclusion: Antiarrhythmic drugs prolonged FCL in both the anterior and posterior chest lead, and organized fibrillation wave in the posterior lead. Analyses of spatial variation of FCL could be a useful tool to determine the effect of antiarrhythmic drugs in patients with persistent AF.