Assessment of atrial functional remodeling in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia with and without drug-induced type 1 Brugada pattern: A case-control study.

PURPOSE: The time interval between the onset of the P-wave on electrocardiogram (ECG) and peak A' velocity of the lateral left atrial wall assessed by tissue Doppler imaging (PA-TDI interval) determine total atrial conduction time (TACT) which reflects atrial remodeling and arrhythmic substrate. In this retrospective study, we aimed to assess TACT in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) with and without drug-induced type 1 Brugada electrocardiogram ECG pattern (DI-Type 1 BrP) and control subjects. METHODS: Study population consisted of 62 consecutive patients (46 women; mean age 44 ± 12 years) undergoing electrophysiological study and ablation for symptomatic, drug-resistant AVNRT, and 42 age-matched and sex-matched control subjects. All patients and control subjects underwent ajmaline challenge test and tissue Doppler imaging. RESULTS: A DI-Type 1 BrP was uncovered in 24 of 62 patients with AVNRT (38.7%). PA-TDI interval was similar among AVNRT patients with and without DI-Type 1 BrP (124 ± 12 ms vs 119 ± 14 ms, respectively, P = .32), but significantly longer in patients with AVNRT with as well as without DI-Type 1 BrP than in control subjects (124 ± 12 ms and 119 ± 14 ms vs 105 ± 11 ms, respectively, P < .001). CONCLUSION: The TACT assessed by PA-TDI interval is longer in patients with AVNRT with and without DI-Type 1 BrP than in age-matched and sex-matched healthy control subjects.

Optimal slow pathway ablation site for slow-fast atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia with 2:1 atrioventricular conduction.

BACKGROUND: The exact circuit responsible for the atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is still unknown. We evaluated the optimal slow pathway ablation area in patients with and without 2:1 AV conduction during the slow-fast AVNRT. METHODS: Among 207 consecutive patients with slow-fast AVNRT who underwent slow pathway ablation, 12 (5.8 %) patients who had 2:1 AV conduction during tachycardia (group A) were included. Fifty-nine patients without 2:1 AV conduction during tachycardia or a lower common pathway (group B) were included as a control group. We measured the fluoroscopic vertical distance on the 45° left anterior oblique view between the optimal slow pathway ablation area and His bundle electrogram (HBE) recording site (height AH) and between the coronary sinus ostium and HBE site (height CH). The horizontal distances (width AH, width CH) on the 30° right anterior view were also measured. RESULTS: The tachycardia cycle length (300 ± 39 vs. 371 ± 71 ms, p = 0.001) and AH interval during tachycardia (259 ± 33 vs. 324 ± 69 ms, p = 0.001) were significantly shorter in group A than in group B. The height AH/height CH was significantly smaller in group A than in group B (0.62 ± 0.15 vs. 0.76 ± 0.27, p = 0.034) whereas height CH was similar between the two groups (22.8 ± 6.4 vs. 23.4 ± 7.5 mm, p = 0.84). The width CA and width CH were similar between the two groups. Slow pathway ablation was successfully achieved in all 71 patients without any complications. The number of applications tended to be greater in group A than in group b; however, the difference did not reach statistical significance (8.8 ± 8.0 vs. 5.2 ± 5.2, p = 0.147). CONCLUSIONS: The optimal slow pathway ablation area was located at a more superior position in group A than in group b.

Mathematical model of the atrioventricular nodal double response tachycardia and double-fire pathology.

A proposed model consisting of two coupled models (Hodgkin-Huxley and Yanagihara-Noma-Irisawa model) is considered as a description of the heart's action potential. System of ordinary differential equations is used to recreate pathological behaviour in the conducting heart's system such as double fire and the most common tachycardia: atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). Part of the population has an abnormal accessory pathways: fast and slow (Fujiki, 2008). These pathways in the atrioventricular node (AV node) are anatomical and functional contributions of supraventricular tachycardia. However, the appearance of two pathways in the AV node may be a contribution of arrhythmia, which is caused by coexistent conduction by two pathways (called double fire). The difference in the conduction time between these pathways is the most important factor. This is the reason to introduce three types of couplings and delay to our system in order to reproduce various types of the AVNRT. In our research, introducing the feedback loops and couplings entails the creation of waves which can correspond to the re-entry waves occurring in the AVNRT. Our main aim is to study solutions of the given equations and take into consideration the influence of feedback and delays which occur in these pathological modes. We also present stability analysis for both components, that is Hodgkin-Huxley and Yanagihara-Noma-Irisawa models, as well as for the final double-fire model.

The Mechanism of Reflection Type Reentry: A Simulation Study.

INTRODUCTION: Reflection is a special type of reentry in which an electrical wave front travels in a forward direction through tissue that is then re-excited by a wave front that propagates backward. This type of reentry has been studied computationally in 1-dimensional fibers and verified experimentally. Different hypotheses explaining reflected reentry have been proposed based on the structure and heterogeneity of the tissue properties, but the mechanism remains uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used the bidomain model to represent cardiac tissue and the Luo-Rudy model to describe the active membrane properties. We consider an ischemic region in a volume of ventricular myocardium. Our results show that a slow depolarization in the ischemic border zone caused by electrotonic coupling to depolarized tissue in the normal region creates a delay between proximal and distal regions that produces enough electrotonic current in the distal region to re-excite the proximal region. CONCLUSION: Our simulation shows that an early afterdepolarization (EAD) is not the source of the reflection. It depends on the pacing interval and stimulus strength necessary to maintain enough time delay between proximal and distal regions.

Anterograde conduction to the His bundle during right ventricular overdrive pacing distinguishes septal pathway atrioventricular reentry from atypical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia.

BACKGROUND: Distinguishing orthodromic atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (ORT) using a retrograde septal accessory pathway (AP) from atypical atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) may be challenging. Specifically, excluding the presence and participation of an AP may require multiple diagnostic maneuvers. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the relative value of commonly used right ventricular (RV) pacing maneuvers, including identification of anterograde His-bundle activation with entrainment, to differentiate ORT using a retrograde septal AP from atypical AVNRT. METHODS: From March 2009 to June 2014, 56 patients (28 female; age 43.9 ± 17.4 years) who underwent electrophysiologic study and ablation for supraventricular tachycardia (26 ORT using septal AP and 30 atypical AVNRT) that exhibited a concentric atrial activation pattern and a septal ventriculoatrial interval >70 ms were analyzed. RESULTS: Overdrive pacing maneuvers or ventricular extrastimuli failed on at least 1 occasion to correctly identify a septal AP. Overall, 16 ORT patients and 26 AVNRT patients had successful RV entrainment, and 12 (75%) ORT patients showed anterograde His capture (11 patients) and/or anterograde septal ventricular capture (3 patients). None of the patients with atypical AVNRT showed anterograde conduction to the His bundle with entrainment. CONCLUSION: RV pacing maneuvers are useful to exclude an AP in patients with AVNRT having concentric atrial activation sequence and a septal ventriculoatrial interval >70 ms; however, none are consistently diagnostic. When observed in this patient population, anterograde His-bundle or septal ventricular capture during RV entrainment was diagnostic for ORT using a septal AP.

Demonstration of anatomical reentrant tachycardia circuit in verapamil-sensitive atrial tachycardia originating from the vicinity of the atrioventricular node.

BACKGROUND: The anatomical location of the reentry circuit in verapamil-sensitive atrial tachycardia originating from the vicinity of atrioventricular node (V-AT) is not well clarified. OBJECTIVE: To define the reentry circuit of V-AT. METHODS: In 17 patients with V-AT, rapid atrial pacing at a rate 5 beats/min faster than the tachycardia rate was delivered from multiple sites of the right atrium (RA) during tachycardia to define the direction of the proximity of the slow conduction area of the reentry circuit. After identification of manifest entrainment and orthodromic capture of the earliest atrial activation site (EAAS), radiofrequency energy was delivered starting at a site 2 cm away from the EAAS in the direction of the pacing site. Radiofrequency energy application site was then gradually advanced toward EAAS until the termination of tachycardia to define the entrance of the slow conduction area. RESULTS: The EAAS was orthodromically captured by pacing delivered from one of the high anterolateral RA (n = 6), high posteroseptal RA (n = 9), and RA appendage (n = 2). Radiofrequency energy delivery to the site, 10.1 ± 2.8 mm away from the EAAS, terminated V-AT immediately after the onset of delivery (2.9 ± 1.0 seconds). The successful ablation site located outside the Koch's triangle, being more distant from the His bundle site than the EAAS (12.4 ± 2.9 vs 6.4 ± 1.9 mm; P <.0001). CONCLUSION: The reentry circuit of V-AT located outside the Koch's triangle. V-AT was eliminated by the radiofrequency energy delivered to the entrance of the reentry circuit, which was more distant from the His bundle site than the EAAS, under the navigation of entrainment.

Effect of female sex on cardiac arrhythmias.

We performed a systematic literature review to examine the effect of female sex on cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias. Women have faster resting heart rates yet longer QTc intervals. Women also have shorter PR and QRS intervals; these are presumed to be due to the small heart size of women and hormonal effects on ion channels. Women are two times more likely to experience atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia than men. In contrast to atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia, accessory-pathway-mediated atrial arrhythmias are less common in women, and women have more concealed and fewer manifest accessory pathways. Supraventricular tachycardia in women varies with the menstrual cycle and is more frequent in the luteal phase and inversely correlated with estrogen levels. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is less prevalent in women, but the absolute number of women with AF is higher because AF prevalence increases with age and women live longer. Also, complications of AF are greater in women. Women are generally less prone to ventricular arrhythmias, but they comprise a higher percentage of symptomatic subjects with congenital long QT syndrome and are more often affected by drugs that prolong the QT. Women are less prone to arrhythmias during pregnancy although they commonly complain of palpitations, which are sometimes related to the increase in heart rate during pregnancy. Clinicians should explore the relationship of arrhythmias to the menstrual cycle in female patients and should know that the menstrual cycle may affect the induction of arrhythmias during electrophysiological testing. Clinicians should also be aware that the arrhythmia and the result of clinical trials examining arrhythmia treatment may have different implications in women than in men.

Frequent AV node reentrant tachycardia induced by oversized port catheter.

PURPOSE: Here, we describe the efficiency of interventional electrophysiology therapy in a critically ill patient with heart failure because of incessant AV node reentrant tachycardia after surgical port implantation. METHODS: Electrophysiology diagnostic and radio frequency ablation were utilized in the study. RESULT: We presented a 78-year-old patient with colorectal cancer, surgical port implantation, and progressive heart failure due to an incessant AV node reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). This rhythm disturbance was refractory to any conventional pharmaceutical treatment. The electrophysiology diagnostic obtained an AVNRT. During fluoroscopy, an oversized port catheter with a loop touching the tricuspid valve annulus was discovered. This port catheter was responsible for premature beats, which induced incessant AVNRT. A manual reposition of the port edge and additional AV node slow pathway modification terminated further tachycardia. CONCLUSION: Electrophysiology diagnostic and radiofrequency ablation procedures are promising techniques also in critically ill patients with hemodynamic compromising supraventricular tachycardia.

Simultaneous conduction over the fast and slow pathways during induction of atrioventricular nodal reentrant arrhythmia with a rate of less than 100 bpm and infra-His block after radiofrequency ablation of the slow pathway.

Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is the most common form of paroxysmal regular supraventricular tachycardia in adults. It is typically induced with an anterograde block over the fast pathway (FP) and conduction over the slow pathway (SP), with subsequent retrograde conduction over the FP. Rarely, a simultaneous conduction of a premature atrial complex occurs over the FP and SP to induce AVNRT and is called "one for two phenomenon". We present a 46-year-old woman with atrioventricular nodal rhythm with a rate of 95 beats per minute with distinct electrophysiological characteristics showing simultaneous conduction over the FP and SP during induction of tachycardia and an infra-His block after radiofrequency ablation of the SP.

Propagation of the sinus impulse into the Koch triangle and localization, timing, and origin of the multicomponent potentials recorded in this area.

BACKGROUND: The presence of a conduction block at the level of the Koch triangle (KT) and the origin of the multicomponent potentials inside this area are controversial issues. We investigated the propagation of the sinus impulse into the KT and the characteristics of multicomponent potentials recorded in that area in patients with and without atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (16 with AVNRT, 16 without AVNRT) underwent a sinus rhythm electroanatomic mapping of the right atrium (RA). Conduction velocities in the RA and in the KT were evaluated quantitatively on activation maps and qualitatively on isochronal and propagation maps. The presence, location, and timing of different types of multicomponent potentials were evaluated. A mean of 149±44 points were sampled in the RA, whereas a mean of 79±21 points were collected inside the KT. Propagation block at the level of crista terminalis was not found in any patient, whereas slow conduction inside the KT was found in all (median conduction velocity, 122 cm/s [110 to 135 cm/s] outside KT versus 60 cm/s [48 to 75 cm/s] inside KT; P<0.0001). Jackman potentials were identified inside KT in almost all the patients and were invariably found on the line of collision between the wavefronts activating the KT in opposite directions. CONCLUSIONS: No conduction block was detected inside the KT in patients with and without AVNRT. Conduction slowing was demonstrated during propagation of the sinus impulse inside the KT. The genesis of the Jackman potential may be related to the collision of the wavefronts activating KT in opposite directions.

Superior approach for radiofrequency ablation of atrio-ventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia in a patient with anomalous inferior vena cava and azygos continuation.

We present a 45-year-old woman with supraventricular tachycardia. During placement of diagnostic catheters, an interruption of the inferior vena cava was suspected. An MRI confirmed the interruption of the inferior vena cava above the level of the renal veins with azygos vein continuation up to the superior vena cava. Catheter ablation was performed using a superior approach via the left subclavian vein.

AVNRT unmasking asymptomatic ALCAPA (anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery) with preserved left ventricular function in middle age.

We present the unusual case of a 49-year-old female with a previously undiagnosed anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) presenting in middle age with atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT) and preserved left ventricular function. She subsequently underwent successful translocation of her anomalous left coronary artery to the aorta.

The atrioventricular interval during pre-excited tachycardia: a simple way to distinguish between decrementally or rapidly conducting accessory pathways.

BACKGROUND: Recognition of the presence and role of decremental fibers during wide QRS tachycardia requires carefully executed intracardiac studies. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the value of the atrioventricular (AV) conduction time during pre-excited tachycardia to differentiate a fast from a decrementally conducting accessory pathway (AP). METHODS: Fifty-one patients with 56 pre-excited tachycardias were included in the study: Group I: 27 patients with 31 antidromic tachycardia (ADT) using an atriofascicular pathway, Group II: 2 patients with pre-excited tachycardia due to bystander AV conduction, Group III: 3 patients with ADT and a short AV Mahaim fiber, and Group IV: 19 patients with 21 ADT using a fast conducting right-sided AP. The AV interval was measured in the His bundle electrogram and related to the tachycardia cycle length (TCL) by making an AV/TCL index. RESULTS: An AV interval > or = 150 ms during pre-excited tachycardia yielded a 91% sensitivity, 90% specificity, positive predictive value of 94%, and negative predictive value of 83% for AV conduction over a decrementally conducting pathway, whereas a > or =0.55 AV/TCL index yielded a sensitivity of 89%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 84%. In 3 of 4 patients with Mahaim fibers and a <0.55 AV/TCL index, a prolonged ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction time was found. CONCLUSIONS: An AV interval > or =150 ms during pre-excited tachycardia is a fast and reliable method for detecting a decrementally conducting AP. Correcting the AV interval by the tachycardia cycle length improved specificity and positive predictive accuracy.