Clinical value of fibrillatory wave amplitude on surface ECG in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.
OBJECTIVE
We postulated that amplitude of fibrillatory (F)-wave in patients with persistent AF would correlate with clinical characteristics and outcome in patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF.


METHODS
Maximal and mean amplitude of F-waves were measured in V1 and lead II in 90 patients prior to ablation for persistent AF. F-wave amplitudes were correlated to clinical, echocardiographic variables, and outcome.


RESULTS
F-wave > or = 0.1 mV in lead II and V1 was correlated with younger age and shorter AF history, and in lead II only was correlated with a smaller left atrium. Higher F-wave amplitude at baseline predicted AF termination during ablation. Maximal amplitude of > or = 0.07 mV predicted AF termination by ablation with 82%/79% sensitivity and 68%/73% specificity in V1/lead II respectively. An association between F-wave amplitude and AF recurrence was observed. Forty-three percent of patients with mean f wave amplitude <0.05 in lead V1 had AF recurrence compared to 12% of those with F-wave > or = 0.05 (p = 0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
Longer AF duration, older age and larger LA size are associated with fine AF amplitude. High F-wave amplitude predicts procedural termination of arrhyhmia in patients with persistent AF and freedom from AF upon follow-up.
Nault
Isabelle
I
Hôpital Cardiologique Haut-Lévêque, Bordeaux-Pessac, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, France. isabellenault@gmail.com
Lellouche
Nicolas
N
Matsuo
Seiichiro
S
Knecht
Sébastien
S
Wright
Matthew
M
Lim
Kang-Teng
KT
Sacher
Frederic
F
Platonov
Pyotr
P
Deplagne
Antoine
A
Bordachar
Pierre
P
Derval
Nicolas
N
O'Neill
Mark D
MD
Klein
George J
GJ
Hocini
Mélèze
M
Jaïs
Pierre
P
Clémenty
Jacques
J
Haïssaguerre
Michel
M
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome