DISTINCTIVE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OFPULMONARY VEINS IN PATIENTS WITH PAROXYSMALATRIAL FIBRILLATION AGAINST ISOPROTERENOL

摘要

Background:The pulmonary veins (PVs) have been demonstrated to play great important roles in generating and perpetuating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Hence,the pharmacological responses of PVs are well unknown. Methods and Results: Two groups were studied;9 patients with PAF and 9 control patients without PAF. Effective refractory period (ERP) was compared in the 2 groups using programmed stimulation with a single extra-stimulus in the bilateral superior PVs (LSPV and RSPV) and left atrium (LA), at baseline and after isoproterenol infusion. At baseline, LSPV ERP, RSPV ERP and LA ERP had not significant difference between 2 groups (210+-37 vs 199+-58 ms, 223+-21 vs 190+-40 ms, and 208+-19 vs 215+-20 ms, respectively). After isoproterenol infusion, however, LSPV ERP and RSPV ERP in the PAF group were significantly shorter than those in control group (123+-60 vs 191+-29 ms, and 162+-31 vs 204+-15 ms, respectively, p<0.05). Furthermore, in PAF group, LSPV ERP and RSPV ERP were significantly shorter than LA ERP after isoproterenol infusion (123+-60, and 162+-31 vs 188+-23 ms, respectively, p<0.05). In control group, however, the venous ERPs had not any significant differences with LA ERP at baseline and after isoproterenol infusion. Conclusions:The PVs in patients with PAF exhibited distinctive elctrophysiological properties against isoproterenol administration compared with those in patients without PAF.