BACKGROUND: Localized drivers are proposed mechanisms for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) from optical mapping of human atria and clinical studies of AF, yet are controversial because drivers fluctuate and ablating them may not terminate AF. We used wavefront field mapping to test the hypothesis that AF drivers, if concurrent, may interact to produce fluctuating areas of control to explain their appearance/disappearance and acute impact of ablation. METHODS: We recruited 54 patients from an international registry in whom persistent AF terminated by targeted ablation. Unipolar AF electrograms were analyzed from 64-pole baskets to reconstruct activation times, map propagation vectors each 20 ms, and create nonproprietary phase maps. RESULTS: Each patient (63.6±8.5 years, 29.6% women) showed 4.0±2.1 spatially anchored rotational or focal sites in AF in 3 patterns. First, a single (type I; n=7) or, second, paired chiral-antichiral (type II; n=5) rotational drivers controlled most of the atrial area. Ablation of 1 to 2 large drivers terminated all cases of types I or II AF. Third, interaction of 3 to 5 drivers (type III; n=42) with changing areas of control. Targeted ablation at driver centers terminated AF and required more ablation in types III versus I (P=0.02 in left atrium). CONCLUSIONS: Wavefront field mapping of persistent AF reveals a pathophysiologic network of a small number of spatially anchored rotational and focal sites, which interact, fluctuate, and control varying areas. Future work should define whether AF drivers that control larger atrial areas are attractive targets for ablation.
BACKGROUND: Localized drivers are proposed mechanisms for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) from optical mapping of human atria and clinical studies of AF, yet are controversial because drivers fluctuate and ablating them may not terminate AF. We used wavefront field mapping to test the hypothesis that AF drivers, if concurrent, may interact to produce fluctuating areas of control to explain their appearance/disappearance and acute impact of ablation. METHODS: We recruited 54 patients from an international registry in whom persistent AF terminated by targeted ablation. Unipolar AF electrograms were analyzed from 64-pole baskets to reconstruct activation times, map propagation vectors each 20 ms, and create nonproprietary phase maps. RESULTS: Each patient (63.6±8.5 years, 29.6% women) showed 4.0±2.1 spatially anchored rotational or focal sites in AF in 3 patterns. First, a single (type I; n=7) or, second, paired chiral-antichiral (type II; n=5) rotational drivers controlled most of the atrial area. Ablation of 1 to 2 large drivers terminated all cases of types I or II AF. Third, interaction of 3 to 5 drivers (type III; n=42) with changing areas of control. Targeted ablation at driver centers terminated AF and required more ablation in types III versus I (P=0.02 in left atrium). CONCLUSIONS: Wavefront field mapping of persistent AF reveals a pathophysiologic network of a small number of spatially anchored rotational and focal sites, which interact, fluctuate, and control varying areas. Future work should define whether AF drivers that control larger atrial areas are attractive targets for ablation.
Authors: Michel Haïssaguerre; Prashanthan Sanders; Mélèze Hocini; Yoshihide Takahashi; Martin Rotter; Frederic Sacher; Thomas Rostock; Li-Fern Hsu; Pierre Bordachar; Sylvain Reuter; Raymond Roudaut; Jacques Clémenty; Pierre Jaïs Journal: J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol Date: 2005-11
Authors: Sanjiv M Narayan; David E Krummen; Kalyanam Shivkumar; Paul Clopton; Wouter-Jan Rappel; John M Miller Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2012-07-18 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: Brian J Hansen; Jichao Zhao; Thomas A Csepe; Brandon T Moore; Ning Li; Laura A Jayne; Anuradha Kalyanasundaram; Praise Lim; Anna Bratasz; Kimerly A Powell; Orlando P Simonetti; Robert S D Higgins; Ahmet Kilic; Peter J Mohler; Paul M L Janssen; Raul Weiss; John D Hummel; Vadim V Fedorov Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2015-06-08 Impact factor: 29.983
Authors: Mark D O'Neill; Matthew Wright; Sébastien Knecht; Pierre Jaïs; Mélèze Hocini; Yoshihide Takahashi; Anders Jönsson; Frédéric Sacher; Seiichiro Matsuo; Kang Teng Lim; Leonardo Arantes; Nicolas Derval; Nicholas Lellouche; Isabelle Nault; Pierre Bordachar; Jacques Clémenty; Michel Haïssaguerre Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2009-03-08 Impact factor: 29.983
Authors: Nassir F Marrouche; David Wilber; Gerhard Hindricks; Pierre Jais; Nazem Akoum; Francis Marchlinski; Eugene Kholmovski; Nathan Burgon; Nan Hu; Lluis Mont; Thomas Deneke; Mattias Duytschaever; Thomas Neumann; Moussa Mansour; Christian Mahnkopf; Bengt Herweg; Emile Daoud; Erik Wissner; Paul Bansmann; Johannes Brachmann Journal: JAMA Date: 2014-02-05 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: John M Miller; Robert C Kowal; Vijay Swarup; James P Daubert; Emile G Daoud; John D Day; Kenneth A Ellenbogen; John D Hummel; Tina Baykaner; David E Krummen; Sanjiv M Narayan; Vivek Y Reddy; Kalyanam Shivkumar; Jonathan S Steinberg; Kevin R Wheelan Journal: J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol Date: 2014-07-23