1
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Shi X, Sau A, Li X, Patel K, Bajaj N, Varela M, Wu H, Handa B, Arnold A, Shun-Shin M, Keene D, Howard J, Whinnett Z, Peters N, Christensen K, Jensen HJ, Ng FS. Information theory-based direct causality measure to assess cardiac fibrillation dynamics. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20230443. [PMID: 37817583 PMCID: PMC10565370 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanism sustaining cardiac fibrillation can facilitate the personalization of treatment. Granger causality analysis can be used to determine the existence of a hierarchical fibrillation mechanism that is more amenable to ablation treatment in cardiac time-series data. Conventional Granger causality based on linear predictability may fail if the assumption is not met or given sparsely sampled, high-dimensional data. More recently developed information theory-based causality measures could potentially provide a more accurate estimate of the nonlinear coupling. However, despite their successful application to linear and nonlinear physical systems, their use is not known in the clinical field. Partial mutual information from mixed embedding (PMIME) was implemented to identify the direct coupling of cardiac electrophysiology signals. We show that PMIME requires less data and is more robust to extrinsic confounding factors. The algorithms were then extended for efficient characterization of fibrillation organization and hierarchy using clinical high-dimensional data. We show that PMIME network measures correlate well with the spatio-temporal organization of fibrillation and demonstrated that hierarchical type of fibrillation and drivers could be identified in a subset of ventricular fibrillation patients, such that regions of high hierarchy are associated with high dominant frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xili Shi
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Arunashis Sau
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Xinyang Li
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Kiran Patel
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Nikesh Bajaj
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marta Varela
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Huiyi Wu
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Balvinder Handa
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Ahran Arnold
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Matthew Shun-Shin
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Daniel Keene
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - James Howard
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Zachary Whinnett
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Nicholas Peters
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Kim Christensen
- Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Henrik Jeldtoft Jensen
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Fu Siong Ng
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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2
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Escalona O, Mukhtar S, McEneaney D, Finlay D. Armband Sensors Location Assessment for Left Arm-ECG Bipolar Leads Waveform Components Discovery Tendencies around the MUAC Line. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:7240. [PMID: 36236340 PMCID: PMC9572383 DOI: 10.3390/s22197240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk can be reduced by early detection of short-lived and transient cardiac arrhythmias using long-term electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring. Early detection of ventricular arrhythmias can reduce the risk of SCD by allowing appropriate interventions. Long-term continuous ECG monitoring, using a non-invasive armband-based wearable device is an appealing solution for detecting early heart rhythm abnormalities. However, there is a paucity of understanding on the number and best bipolar ECG electrode pairs axial orientation around the left mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) for such devices. This study addresses the question on the best axial orientation of ECG bipolar electrode pairs around the left MUAC in non-invasive armband-based wearable devices, for the early detection of heart rhythm abnormalities. A total of 18 subjects with almost same BMI values in the WASTCArD arm-ECG database were selected to assess arm-ECG bipolar leads quality using proposed metrics of relative (normalized) signal strength measurement, arm-ECG detection performance of the main ECG waveform event component (QRS) and heart-rate variability (HRV) in six derived bipolar arm ECG-lead sensor pairs around the armband circumference, having regularly spaced axis angles (at 30° steps) orientation. The analysis revealed that the angular range from -30° to +30°of arm-lead sensors pair axis orientation around the arm, including the 0° axis (which is co-planar to chest plane), provided the best orientation on the arm for reasonably good QRS detection; presenting the highest sensitivity (Se) median value of 93.3%, precision PPV median value at 99.6%; HRV RMS correlation (p) of 0.97 and coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.95 with HRV gold standard values measured in the standard Lead-I ECG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Escalona
- School of Engineering, Ulster University, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB, UK
| | - Sephorah Mukhtar
- School of Engineering, Ulster University, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB, UK
| | | | - Dewar Finlay
- School of Engineering, Ulster University, Newtownabbey BT37 0QB, UK
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3
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Essien UR, McCabe ME, Kershaw KN, Youmans QR, Fine MJ, Yancy CW, Khan SS. Association Between Neighborhood-Level Poverty and Incident Atrial Fibrillation: a Retrospective Cohort Study. J Gen Intern Med 2022; 37:1436-1443. [PMID: 34240286 PMCID: PMC9086074 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-06976-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. While neighborhood-level factors, such as poverty, have been related to prevalence of AF risk factors, the association between neighborhood poverty and incident AF has been limited. OBJECTIVE Using a large cohort from a health system serving the greater Chicago area, we sought to determine the association between neighborhood-level poverty and incident AF. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS Adults, aged 30 to 80 years, without baseline cardiovascular disease from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2018. MAIN MEASURES We geocoded and matched residential addresses of all eligible patients to census-level poverty estimates from the American Community Survey. Neighborhood-level poverty (low, intermediate, and high) was defined as the proportion of residents in the census tract living below the federal poverty threshold. We used generalized linear mixed effects models with a logit link function to examine the association between neighborhood poverty and incident AF, adjusting for patient demographic and clinical AF risk factors. KEY RESULTS Among 28,858 in the cohort, patients in the high poverty group were more often non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic and had higher rates of AF risk factors. Over 5 years of follow-up, 971 (3.4%) patients developed incident AF. Of these, 502 (51.7%) were in the low poverty, 327 (33.7%) in the intermediate poverty, and 142 (14.6%) in the high poverty group. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of AF was higher for the intermediate poverty compared with that for the low poverty group (aOR 1.23 [95% CI 1.01-1.48]). The point estimate for the aOR of AF incidence was similar, but not statistically significant, for the high poverty compared with the low poverty group (aOR 1.25 [95% CI 0.98-1.59]). CONCLUSION In adults without baseline cardiovascular disease managed in a large, integrated health system, intermediate neighborhood poverty was significantly associated with incident AF. Understanding neighborhood-level drivers of AF disparities will help achieve equitable care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Utibe R Essien
- Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Megan E McCabe
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kiarri N Kershaw
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Quentin R Youmans
- Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Michael J Fine
- Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Clyde W Yancy
- Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sadiya S Khan
- Division of Cardiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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Park JW, Lim B, Hwang I, Kwon OS, Yu HT, Kim TH, Uhm JS, Joung B, Lee MH, Pak HN. Restitution Slope Affects the Outcome of Dominant Frequency Ablation in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: CUVIA-AF2 Post-Hoc Analysis Based on Computational Modeling Study. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:838646. [PMID: 35310982 PMCID: PMC8927985 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.838646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionAlthough the dominant frequency (DF) localizes the reentrant drivers and the maximal slope of the action potential duration (APD) restitution curve (Smax) reflects the tendency of the wave-break, their interaction has never been studied. We hypothesized that DF ablation has different effects on atrial fibrillation (AF) depending on Smax.MethodsWe studied the DF and Smax in 25 realistic human persistent AF model samples (68% male, 60 ± 10 years old). Virtual AF was induced by ramp pacing measuring Smax, followed by spatiotemporal DF evaluation for 34 s. We assessed the DF ablation effect depending on Smax in both computational modeling and a previous clinical trial, CUVIA-AF (170 patients with persistent AF, 70.6% male, 60 ± 11 years old).ResultsMean DF had an inverse relationship with Smax regardless of AF acquisition timing (p < 0.001). Virtual DF ablations increased the defragmentation rate compared to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) alone (p = 0.015), especially at Smax <1 (61.5 vs. 7.7%, p = 0.011). In post-DF ablation defragmentation episodes, DF was significantly higher (p = 0.002), and Smax was lower (p = 0.003) than in episodes without defragmentation. In the post-hoc analysis of CUVIA-AF2, we replicated the inverse relationship between Smax and DF (r = −0.47, p < 0.001), and we observed better rhythm outcomes of clinical DF ablations in addition to a PVI than of empirical PVI at Smax <1 [hazard ratio 0.45, 95% CI (0.22–0.89), p = 0.022; log-rank p = 0.021] but not at ≥ 1 (log-rank p = 0.177).ConclusionWe found an inverse relationship between DF and Smax and the outcome of DF ablation after PVI was superior at the condition with Smax <1 in both in-silico and clinical trials.
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5
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Azzolin L, Schuler S, Dössel O, Loewe A. A Reproducible Protocol to Assess Arrhythmia Vulnerability in silico: Pacing at the End of the Effective Refractory Period. Front Physiol 2021; 12:656411. [PMID: 33868025 PMCID: PMC8047415 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.656411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In both clinical and computational studies, different pacing protocols are used to induce arrhythmia and non-inducibility is often considered as the endpoint of treatment. The need for a standardized methodology is urgent since the choice of the protocol used to induce arrhythmia could lead to contrasting results, e.g., in assessing atrial fibrillation (AF) vulnerabilty. Therefore, we propose a novel method-pacing at the end of the effective refractory period (PEERP)-and compare it to state-of-the-art protocols, such as phase singularity distribution (PSD) and rapid pacing (RP) in a computational study. All methods were tested by pacing from evenly distributed endocardial points at 1 cm inter-point distance in two bi-atrial geometries. Seven different atrial models were implemented: five cases without specific AF-induced remodeling but with decreasing global conduction velocity and two persistent AF cases with an increasing amount of fibrosis resembling different substrate remodeling stages. Compared with PSD and RP, PEERP induced a larger variety of arrhythmia complexity requiring, on average, only 2.7 extra-stimuli and 3 s of simulation time to initiate reentry. Moreover, PEERP and PSD were the protocols which unveiled a larger number of areas vulnerable to sustain stable long living reentries compared to RP. Finally, PEERP can foster standardization and reproducibility, since, in contrast to the other protocols, it is a parameter-free method. Furthermore, we discuss its clinical applicability. We conclude that the choice of the inducing protocol has an influence on both initiation and maintenance of AF and we propose and provide PEERP as a reproducible method to assess arrhythmia vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Azzolin
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
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6
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Ciacci A, Falkenberg M, Manani KA, Evans TS, Peters NS, Christensen K. Understanding the transition from paroxysmal to persistent atrial fibrillation. PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH 2020; 2:023311. [PMID: 32607500 PMCID: PMC7326608 DOI: 10.1103/physrevresearch.2.023311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhytmia, characterized by the chaotic motion of electrical wavefronts in the atria. In clinical practice, AF is classified under two primary categories: paroxysmal AF, short intermittent episodes separated by periods of normal electrical activity; and persistent AF, longer uninterrupted episodes of chaotic electrical activity. However, the precise reasons why AF in a given patient is paroxysmal or persistent is poorly understood. Recently, we have introduced the percolation-based Christensen-Manani-Peters (CMP) model of AF which naturally exhibits both paroxysmal and persistent AF, but precisely how these differences emerge in the model is unclear. In this paper, we dissect the CMP model to identify the cause of these different AF classifications. Starting from a mean-field model where we describe AF as a simple birth-death process, we add layers of complexity to the model and show that persistent AF arises from reentrant circuits which exhibit an asymmetry in their probability of activation relative to deactivation. As a result, different simulations generated at identical model parameters can exhibit fibrillatory episodes spanning several orders of magnitude from a few seconds to months. These findings demonstrate that diverse, complex fibrillatory dynamics can emerge from very simple dynamics in models of AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Ciacci
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Max Falkenberg
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Kishan A. Manani
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Tim S. Evans
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas S. Peters
- ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Kim Christensen
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
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7
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Tribulova N, Kurahara LH, Hlivak P, Hirano K, Szeiffova Bacova B. Pro-Arrhythmic Signaling of Thyroid Hormones and Its Relevance in Subclinical Hyperthyroidism. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E2844. [PMID: 32325836 PMCID: PMC7215427 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21082844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A perennial task is to prevent the occurrence and/or recurrence of most frequent or life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF) and ventricular fibrillation (VF). VF may be lethal in cases without an implantable cardioverter defibrillator or with failure of this device. Incidences of AF, even the asymptomatic ones, jeopardize the patient's life due to its complication, notably the high risk of embolic stroke. Therefore, there has been a growing interest in subclinical AF screening and searching for novel electrophysiological and molecular markers. Considering the worldwide increase in cases of thyroid dysfunction and diseases, including thyroid carcinoma, we aimed to explore the implication of thyroid hormones in pro-arrhythmic signaling in the pathophysiological setting. The present review provides updated information about the impact of altered thyroid status on both the occurrence and recurrence of cardiac arrhythmias, predominantly AF. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of both thyroid status monitoring and AF screening in the general population, as well as in patients with thyroid dysfunction and malignancies. Real-world data on early AF identification in relation to thyroid function are scarce. Even though symptomatic AF is rare in patients with thyroid malignancies, who are under thyroid suppressive therapy, clinicians should be aware of potential interaction with asymptomatic AF. It may prevent adverse consequences and improve the quality of life. This issue may be challenging for an updated registry of AF in clinical practice. Thyroid hormones should be considered a biomarker for cardiac arrhythmias screening and their tailored management because of their multifaceted cellular actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narcis Tribulova
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute for Heart Research, 84104 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Lin Hai Kurahara
- Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 76 0793, Japan; (L.H.K.); (K.H.)
| | - Peter Hlivak
- Department of Arrhythmias and Pacing, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Pod Krásnou Hôrkou 1, 83348 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Katsuya Hirano
- Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 76 0793, Japan; (L.H.K.); (K.H.)
| | - Barbara Szeiffova Bacova
- Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute for Heart Research, 84104 Bratislava, Slovakia
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8
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Abstract
Determining optimal treatment strategies for complex arrhythmogenesis in AF is confounded by the lack of consensus regarding the mechanisms causing AF. Studies report different mechanisms for AF, ranging from hierarchical drivers to anarchical multiple activation wavelets. Differences in the assessment of AF mechanisms are likely due to AF being recorded across diverse models using different investigational tools, spatial scales and clinical populations. The authors review different AF mechanisms, including anatomical and functional re-entry, hierarchical drivers and anarchical multiple wavelets. They then describe different cardiac mapping techniques and analysis tools, including activation mapping, phase mapping and fibrosis identification. They explain and review different data challenges, including differences between recording devices in spatial and temporal resolutions, spatial coverage and recording surface, and report clinical outcomes using different data modalities. They suggest future research directions for investigating the mechanisms underlying human AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline H Roney
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.,Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew L Wit
- Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, US
| | - Nicholas S Peters
- Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.,National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
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9
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Falkenberg M, Ford AJ, Li AC, Lawrence R, Ciacci A, Peters NS, Christensen K. Unified mechanism of local drivers in a percolation model of atrial fibrillation. Phys Rev E 2019; 100:062406. [PMID: 31962501 PMCID: PMC7314598 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.100.062406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF) are poorly understood, resulting in disappointing success rates of ablative treatment. Different mechanisms defined largely by different atrial activation patterns have been proposed and, arguably, this dispute has slowed the progress of AF research. Recent clinical evidence suggests a unifying mechanism of local drivers based on sustained reentrant circuits in the complex atrial architecture. Here, we present a percolation inspired computational model showing spontaneous emergence of AF that strongly supports, and gives a theoretical explanation for, the clinically observed diversity of activation. We show that the difference in surface activation patterns is a direct consequence of the thickness of the discrete network of heart muscle cells through which electrical signals percolate to reach the imaged surface. The model naturally follows the clinical spectrum of AF spanning sinus rhythm, paroxysmal AF, and persistent AF as the decoupling of myocardial cells results in the lattice approaching the percolation threshold. This allows the model to make the prediction that, for paroxysmal AF, reentrant circuits emerge near the endocardium, but in persistent AF they emerge deeper in the bulk of the atrial wall. If experimentally verified, this may go towards explaining the lowering ablation success rate as AF becomes more persistent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Falkenberg
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Ford
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Anthony C. Li
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Lawrence
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alberto Ciacci
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas S. Peters
- Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Kim Christensen
- Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom
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10
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Ciaccio EJ, Wan EY, Saluja DS, Acharya UR, Peters NS, Garan H. Addressing challenges of quantitative methodologies and event interpretation in the study of atrial fibrillation. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2019; 178:113-122. [PMID: 31416540 PMCID: PMC6748794 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2019.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest arrhythmia, yet the mechanisms of its onset and persistence are incompletely known. Although techniques for quantitative assessment have been investigated, there have been few attempts to integrate this information to advance disease treatment protocols. In this review, key quantitative methods for AF analysis are described, and suggestions are provided for the coordination of the available information, and to develop foci and directions for future research efforts. Quantitative biologists may have an interest in this topic in order to develop machine learning and tools for arrhythmia characterization, but they may perhaps have a minimal background in the clinical methodology and in the types of observed events and mechanistic hypotheses that have thus far been developed. We attempt to address these issues via exploration of the published literature. Although no new data is presented in this review, examples are shown of current lines of investigation, and in particular, how electrogram analysis and whole-chamber quantitative modeling of the left atrium may be useful to characterize fibrillatory patterns of activity, so as to propose avenues for more efficacious acquisition and interpretation of AF data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Ciaccio
- Department of Medicine - Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Elaine Y Wan
- Department of Medicine - Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Deepak S Saluja
- Department of Medicine - Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - U Rajendra Acharya
- Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore
| | - Nicholas S Peters
- ElectroCardioMaths Programme, Imperial Centre for Cardiac Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hasan Garan
- Department of Medicine - Division of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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11
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Aronis KN, Ali RL, Liang JA, Zhou S, Trayanova NA. Understanding AF Mechanisms Through Computational Modelling and Simulations. Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev 2019; 8:210-219. [PMID: 31463059 PMCID: PMC6702471 DOI: 10.15420/aer.2019.28.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AF is a progressive disease of the atria, involving complex mechanisms related to its initiation, maintenance and progression. Computational modelling provides a framework for integration of experimental and clinical findings, and has emerged as an essential part of mechanistic research in AF. The authors summarise recent advancements in development of multi-scale AF models and focus on the mechanistic links between alternations in atrial structure and electrophysiology with AF. Key AF mechanisms that have been explored using atrial modelling are pulmonary vein ectopy; atrial fibrosis and fibrosis distribution; atrial wall thickness heterogeneity; atrial adipose tissue infiltration; development of repolarisation alternans; cardiac ion channel mutations; and atrial stretch with mechano-electrical feedback. They review modelling approaches that capture variability at the cohort level and provide cohort-specific mechanistic insights. The authors conclude with a summary of future perspectives, as envisioned for the contributions of atrial modelling in the mechanistic understanding of AF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos N Aronis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, US
- Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins HospitalBaltimore, MD, US
| | - Rheeda L Ali
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, US
| | - Jialiu A Liang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, US
| | - Shijie Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, US
| | - Natalia A Trayanova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, US
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12
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Abstract
Techniques to ablate persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) continue to evolve. Recent technological and strategic innovations have included a focus on mapping and ablating AF sources. These attempts have not yet yielded a consistent improvement in clinical outcomes following AF ablation. Advancements in these techniques in the next few years, however, may enhance our ability to map and ablate AF as well as further our understanding of the mechanisms behind AF initiation, perpetuation, and recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fred Morady
- Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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