Acute regional left atrial ischemia causes acceleration of atrial drivers during atrial fibrillation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mechanisms by which acute left atrial ischemia (LAI) leads to atrial fibrillation (AF) initiation and perpetuation remain unclear.

Objective

To investigate the electrophysiological mechanisms of AF perpetuation in the presence of regional atrial ischemia.

Methods

LAI (90-minute ischemia) was obtained in isolated sheep hearts by selectively perfusing microspheres into the left anterior atrial artery. Two charge-coupled device cameras and several bipolar electrodes enabled recording from multiple atrial locations: with a dual-camera setup (protocol 1, n = 10, and protocol 1', n = 4, for biatrial or atrioventricular camera setups, respectively), in the presence of propranolol/atropine (1 μM) added to the perfusate after LAI (protocol 2, n = 3) and after a

SUBMITTER: Yamazaki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4189016 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature