Dataset Information

Atrial electrophysiological characteristics of aging.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Advancing age is a known risk factor for developing atrial fibrillation (AF), yet it is unknown which electrophysiological changes contribute to this increased susceptibility. The goal of this study is to investigate conduction disturbances and unipolar voltages (UV) related to aging.

Methods

We included 216 patients (182 male, age: 36-83 years) without a history of AF undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery. Five seconds of sinus rhythm were recorded intraoperatively at the right atrium (RA), Bachmann's bundle (BB), the left atrium and the pulmonary vein area (PVA). Conduction delay (CD), -block (CB), -velocity (CV), length of longest CB lines and UV were assessed in all regions.

Results

With aging, increasing conduction disturbances were found, particularly at RA and BB (RA: longest CB line r_s = .158, p = .021; BB: CB prevalence r_s = .206, p = .003; CV r_s = -.239, p < .0005). Prevalence of low UV areas (UV <5th percentile) increased with aging at the BB and PVA (BB: r_s = .237, p < .0005 and PVA: r_s = .228, p = .001).

Conclusions

Aging is accompanied by an increase in conduction disturbances during sinus rhythm and a higher prevalence of low UV areas, particularly at BB and in the RA. These electrophysiological alterations could in part explain the increasing susceptibility to AF development associated with aging.

SUBMITTER: van der Does WFB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8048566 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background Ultra-high-density mapping enables detailed mechanistic analysis of atrial reentrant tachycardia but has yet to be used to assess circuit conduction velocity (CV) patterns in adults with congenital heart disease. Methods and Results Circuit pathways and central isthmus CVs were calculated from consecutive ultra-high-density isochronal maps at 2 tertiary centers over a 3-year period. Circuits using anatomic versus surgical obstacles were considered separately and pathway length <50th percentile identified small circuits. CV analysis was used to derive a novel index for prediction of postablation conduction block. A total of 136 supraventricular tachycardias were studied (60% intra-atrial reentrant, 14% multiple loop). Circuits with anatomic versus surgical obstacles featured longer pathway length (119 mm; interquartile range [IQR], 80-150 versus 78 mm; IQR, 63-95; P<0.001), faster central isthmus CV (0.1 m/s; IQR, 0.06-0.25 versus 0.07 m/s; IQR, 0.05-0.10; P=0.016), faster non-isthmus CV (0.52 m/s; IQR, 0.33-0.71 versus 0.38 m/s; IQR, 0.27-0.46; P=0.009), and fewer slow isochrones (4; IQR, 2.3-6.8 versus 6; IQR 5-7; P=0.008). Both central isthmus (R2=0.45; P<0.001) and non-isthmus CV (R2=0.71; P<0.001) correlated with pathway length, whereas central isthmus CV <0.15 m/s was ubiquitous for small circuits. Non-isthmus CV in tachycardia correlated with CV during block validation (R2=0.94; P<0.001) and a validation map to tachycardia conduction time ratio >85% predicted isthmus block in all cases. Over >1 year of follow-up, arrhythmia-free survival was better for homogeneous CV patterns (90% versus 57%; P=0.04). Conclusions Ultra-high-density mapping-guided CV analysis distinguishes atrial reentrant patterns in adults with congenital heart disease with surgical obstacles producing slower and smaller circuits. Very slow central isthmus CV may be essential for atrial tachycardia maintenance in small circuits, and non-isthmus conduction time in tachycardia appears to be useful for rapid assessment of postablation conduction block.