Treatment of atrial flutter and rapid atrial tachycardia with transesophageal atrial pacing

Eight patients with atrial flutter (AF) and rapid atrial tachycardia (AT) (5 common AF, 1 uncommon AF and 2 AT) were treated with transesophageal atrial pacing (TEAP). In 5 patients no antiarrhythmic agent was used during this study, and in 3 patients procainamide was administrated intravenously. Conversion to sinus rhythm was successfully achieved in 7 patients (5 common AF and 2 AT). Two patients were converted to sinus rhythm immediately after pacing, and transient atrial fibrillation was induced before conversion to sinus rhythm in 5 patients. TEAP failed to terminate the arrhythmia in 1 patient with uncommon AF. Administration of procainamide reduced the atrial rate in 2 common AF and 1 AT, which were successfully converted to sinus rhythm by TEAP, but induced a rapid ventricular response in 2 patients, one of whom also developed hypotension before conversion. No significant complication due to TEAP was observed in this study. In conclusion, TEAP is a noninvasive method with fewer complications and has nearly the same high efficacy for converting AF and rapid AT to sinus rhythm as DC cardioversion or transvenous atrial pacing.     

心房颤动患者心房组织血管紧张素系统与心房纤维化的关系

目的 探讨心房颤动（房颤）患者血管紧张素系统基因转录和蛋白表达与心房纤维化的关系,研究心房纤维化在房颤维持和心房重构中的作用.方法 心外科手术病人53例,其中窦性心律者26例,房颤患者27例（房颤少于10年患者为房颤Ⅰ组,房颤超过10年患者为房颤Ⅱ组）.术前行超声心动图检查.手术中取右心房组织,Masson染色测定胶原容积分数（CVF）,分别通过逆转录-聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）和蛋白印迹的方法测量血管紧张素Ⅱ受体、血管转化酶（ACE）mRNA和血管紧张素Ⅱ受体1型蛋白的表达量,用放射免疫的方法测定血管紧张素Ⅱ（AngⅡ）的水平.结果 同窦性心律组相比,房颤组心房扩大、CVF增高;房颤Ⅰ组心房血管紧张素Ⅱ受体1和2的mRNA水平差异无统计学意义,ACE mRNA升高,AngⅡ升高;房颤Ⅱ组心房血管紧张素Ⅱ受体1和2的mRNA有下降的趋势,未达统计学意义,ACE mRNA、血管紧张素Ⅱ受体1蛋白表达下降,有统计学意义.结论 血管紧张素系统在房颤患者的心房纤维化早期发展中发挥作用.     

心房颤动总是"引发"心房颤动吗?

心房颤动(AF)是临床上常见的心律失常,心房重构和AF"引发"AF概念的提出是对AF病理生理机制研究的重大进展,但临床上有关AF的诸多问题并不能都用AF"引发"AF和单纯的心房电重构来解释,本文就AF"引发"AF这一问题结合有关文献作一综述.     

心房重构在房颤中的作用

房颤的发病机制非常复杂,与心房的重构(包括电学重构、解剖重构和自主神经系统重构)密切相关.房颤可诱导离子通道蛋白表达和(或)功能异常,进而反馈性地促进心房功能性折返基质的形成,发生电学重构;循环往复的电学重构造成心房基质的改变,失活的心房肌细胞被纤维组织替代,心房逐渐纤维化,出现解剖重构;与此同时,心房广泛的纤维化进一步阻碍电冲动的传导,反过来加重电学重构;自主神经系统重构可通过正向反馈环机制促进房颤的维持和复发.早期治疗心房重构可延迟甚至预防房颤的发生和发展.     

Inapparent atrial flutter due to atrial dissociation

Percutaneous and surgical procedures intended to potentially cure atrial fibrillation require creating lines of conduction block in specific locations throughout the atrial chambers. In patients presenting with recurrent atrial fibrillation, repeat procedures are often performed, resulting in more extensive regions of conduction block and the potential for regions of dissociated atrial rhythms. The present case describes a patient post-multiple ablation procedures who presented with a symptomatic atrial arrhythmia, the mechanism of which was hidden by the presence of extensive atrial dissociation. Electrophysiologic study revealed the appropriate mechanism and a beneficial ablative procedure was then successfully accomplished.     

心房粘液瘤对心房除极的影响

为探讨心房粘液瘤对心房激动过程的影响,对19例左心房粘液瘤和2例右心房粘液瘤的VCG高倍P环(1mV=360mm)进行测量,结果显示不同部位粘液瘤对心房激动的影响不同,VCGP环亦不同.左心房粘液瘤P环时限延长,除左心房肥大外,较容易判断出双侧心有肥大、房内传导阻滞.右心房粘液瘤P环时限正常,仅表现右心房肥大.VCG上放大的P环能比ECG上P波更敏感地反映出心房异常活动的电变化.     

心房颤动与心房扑动的关系

心房颤动(atrial fibrillation，AF)是临床上最常见的持续性的心律失常。AF患者往往有心房扑动(atrial flutter，AFL)发作，而AFL患者也常伴有AF^[1-3]。在使用抗心律失常药物治疗过程中，AF可能变为AFL^[4-5]，或AFL蜕变为AF^[6-9]。这些现象提示二者在发生和维持机制上可能存在一些共性和相互关联。     

经导管线性消融术对左心房功能影响的研究

目的评价左心房线性消融术对心房颤动（房颤）患者左心房功能的影响。方法选择30例Carto系统标测指导下行左心房线性消融术的阵发性房颤患者，应用超声心动图测定其消融术前1～3d、术后3个月静息时窦性心律下左心房容积指标、二尖瓣口A波速度峰值（VA）及左心房射血力，分析消融术前后左心房功能的变化。结果消融术后反应左心房辅泵功能的指标左心房射血力、VA、左心房主动排空容积、左心房主动排空分数、左心房总排空分数显著下降，反应左心房管道功能的左心房管道容积增加，反应左心房储存功能的指标左心房总排空容积、左心房最大容积无明显变化。结论Carto系统标测下左心房线性消融术后左心房辅泵功能下降，管道功能增强，而储存功能无显著改变。     

The interrelationship between atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter

For a long time, it has been known that atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter have a close clinical interrelationship. Recent electrophysiological studies, especially mapping studies, have significantly advanced our understanding of this interrelationship. Regarding the relationship of atrial fibrillation with atrial flutter: Atrial fibrillation of variable duration precedes the onset of atrial flutter in almost all instances. During the atrial fibrillation, the functional components needed to complete the atrial flutter reentrant circuit, principally a line of block between the venae cavae, are formed. If this line of block does not form, classical atrial flutter does not develop. If this line of block shortens or disappears, classical atrial flutter disappears. In fact, it is fair to say that the major determinant of whether atrial fibrillation persists or classical atrial flutter develops is whether a line of block forms between the venae cavae. Regarding the relationship of atrial flutter with atrial fibrillation: Studies in experimental models and now in patients have demonstrated that a driver (a rapidly firing focus or a reentrant circuit of very short cycle length) can cause atrial fibrillation by producing fibrillatory conduction to the rest of the atria. When the driver is a stable reentrant circuit of very short cycle length, it is, in effect, a very fast form of atrial flutter. There probably is a spectrum of reentrant circuits of short cycle length, i.e., "atrial flutter," that depend, in part, on where the reentrant circuit is located. When the cycle length of the reentrant circuit is so short that it will only activate small portions of the atria in a 1:1 manner, the rest of the atria will be activated rapidly but irregularly, i.e., via fibrillatory conduction, resulting in atrial fibrillation. In short, there are probably several mechanisms of atrial fibrillation, one of which is due to a very rapid atrial flutter circuit causing fibrillatory conduction. In sum, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter have an important interrelationship.