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Relation Between the Rapid Focal Activation in the Pulmonary Vein and the Maintenance of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
Author(s) -
WU TSUJUEY,
LIANG KAEWOEI,
TING CHIHTAI
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
pacing and clinical electrophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.686
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1540-8159
pISSN - 0147-8389
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9592.2001.00902.x
Subject(s) - medicine , atrial fibrillation , paroxysmal atrial fibrillation , cardiology , pulmonary vein , atrial flutter , refractory (planetary science) , physics , astrobiology
WU, T.‐J., et al. : Relation Between the Rapid Focal Activation In the Pulmonary Vein and the Maintenance of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation. This case report describes a patient with drug refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Rapid focal activations with multiple sharp spikes were continuously identified inside the left superior pulmonary vein (PV) during sustained AF. Among seven episodes of AF, cessation of rapid focal activations coincided with the conversion of AF to flutter ( n = 4 ) or immediate AF termination ( n = 3 ). Guided by sharp spikes in the PV, abrupt termination of AF occurred during radiofrequency energy application. Conclusively, rapid focal activations inside the PV are critical in AF maintenance. Cessation of these rapid focal activations underlies the mechanism by which AF converts to flutter.