In a recent issue of this journal, Fujiki et al
1
reported on their experience with bepridil, a potassium channel blocker, for conversion
of long-lasting atrial fibrillation (AF) in 32 patients. The authors determined atrial
cycle length during AF from the surface electrocardiogram at baseline and after drug
administration using frequency analysis techniques, and correlated changes in atrial
cycle length with conversion success. In short, this method disregards the electrical
activity of the ventricles by QRST canceling and uses fast-Fourier transformation
to identify the frequency content of the fibrillating atria. The authors find a greater
cycle length increase in responders than in nonresponders. Although their results
are both interesting and sound from a pathophysiologic point of view, their data analysis
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References
- Usefulness and safety of bepridil in converting persistent atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm.Am J Cardiol. 2003; 92: 472-475
- Frequency analysis of human atrial fibrillation using the surface electrocardiogram and its response to ibutilide.Am J Cardiol. 1998; 81: 1439-1445
- Importance of left atrial diameter and atrial fibrillatory frequency for conversion of persistent atrial fibrillation with oral flecainide.Am J Cardiol. 2002; 90: 1011-1014
- Frequency measures obtained from the surface electrocardiogram in atrial fibrillation research and clinical decision-making.J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2003; 14: S154-S161
- A classification of atrial flutter and regular atrial tachycardia according to electrophysiological mechanisms and anatomical bases.Eur Heart J. 2001; 22: 1162-1182
Article info
Publication history
Received:
February 10,
2004
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 Excerpta Medica Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
