13th International Congress
THE "NEW FRONTIERS"
OF ARRHYTHMIAS 1998

January 24-31, 1998
Marilleva, Trento, Italy

RT-49

Predictors of atrial fibrillation during rapid atrial pacing in dogs

Andreas Goette, J. Christoph Geller, Joerg Mittag, Wolfgang M. Hartung, Jonathan J. Langberg*, Helmut U. Klein.
University Hospital Magdeburg, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Magdeburg, Germany, *Emory University Hospital, Division of Cardiology, Atlanta, USA

Introduction

Atrial fibrillation or simulated atrial fibrillation by rapid atrial pacing is known to cause a long lasting shortening of the atrial effective refractory period (ERP)^1,2. The induced atrial remodeling process is thought to be of importance in the self-perpetuation of the arrhythmia^2,3. Chronic animal pacing models have been used to study the electrophysiological processes during atrial fibrillation². The effect of atrial fibrillation on refractoriness has also been studied in humans after brief episodes of induced atrial fibrillation⁴. The relation of the induced changes in atrial refractoriness with the fibrillatory characteristics during short runs of atrial fibrillation are not well studied in an intact animal model.