Electrical remodeling of the atria associated with paroxysmal and chronic atrial flutter

Abstract

Background - Atrial electrical remodeling may be important for the initiation and perpetuation of atrial arrhythmias. Whether paroxysmal atrial flutter (AFL) and chronic AFL cause electrical remodeling of the atria has not been conclusively determined. Methods and Results - Before radiofrequency ablation of paroxysmal AFL, 15 patients in sinus rhythm were evaluated under autonomic blockade. Lateral right atrial (LRA) effective refractory periods (ERPs) at 600 and 450 ms were measured before and at 1-minute intervals for 10 minutes after spontaneous or pace termination of a 5- to 10-minute period of induced AFL. In 10 patients with chronic AFL, LRA, septal, and coronary sinus (CS) ERPs and co..