Mechanism Research Of Atrial Fibrillation In Humans

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation(AF) is one of the most common and complicated arrhythmia. Being a disease which has not been conquered in the arrhythmic disease field , AF has now become a hot issue for research. Mechanism study of AF has been getting further step by step, but many conclusions have not been confirmed. Atrial remodeling(AR) includes atrial electrical remodeling(AER) and atrial anatomical remodeling(AAR). AER means changes in atrial electrophysiological character. AAR means changes in morphology and structure at tissue, cellular and subcellular level. Results of animal experiments and clinical studies suggest that AF is closely related with AR. AR plays an important role in occuring and sustaining of AF, and also an important role in a series alterations of atrial function caused by AF.Methods used in this study included intracardiac electrophysiologyical testing, observation with light microscopy and electron microscopy, patch clamp technique and laser scanning confocal microscopy technique. We investigated changes in atrial electrophysiology and structure, and also studied changes in ionic channel currents and intracellular calcium density of patients with paroxysmal or chronic AF. The purpose of this study was to elucidate AR changes caused by AF and studied possible mechanisms of these changes further more.Methods and resultsPART â…  : In patients referred to Xijing Hospital for electrophysiologyical testing and/or radiofrequency catheter ablation, the atrial ERP was measured before and after paroxysmal rapid atrial activation which involved AF, AVNRA and AVRT...