title: Quantification of not-dipolar components of atrial depolarization by principal  component analysis of the P-wave.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Principal component analysis (PCA) of the T-wave has been demonstrated to quantify the dipolar and not-dipolar components of the ventricular activation, the latter reflecting repolarization heterogeneity. Accordingly, the PCA of the P-wave could help in analyzing the heterogeneous propagation of sinus impulses in the atria, which seems to predispose to fibrillation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to perform the PCA of the P-wave in patients prone to atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  PCA is performed on P-waves extracted by averaging technique from ECG recordings acquired using a 32-lead mapping system (2048 Hz, 24 bit, 0-400 Hz bandwidth). We extracted PCA parameters related to the dipolar and not dipolar components of the P-wave using the first 3 eigenvalues and the cumulative percent of variance explained by the first 3 PCs (explained variance EV).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the EV associated to the low risk patients is higher than that associated to the high risk patients, and that, correspondingly, the first eigenvalue is significantly lower while the second one is significantly higher in the high risk patients respect to the low risk group. Factor loadings showed that on average all leads contribute to the first principal component.
authors: Dipartimento di Tecnologie e Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. federica.censi@iss.it
authors: Federica
authors: F
authors: Censi
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Calcagnini
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Bartolini
authors: Renato Pietro
authors: RP
authors: Ricci
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Santini
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment