A new method to detect heart tissue that causes atrial fibrillation

The distribution pattern of transient planar wavefronts during Atrial Fibrillation may indicate the underlying mechanisms perpetuating activation (Dr Ian Mann)

Supervised by Dr Prapa Kanagaratnam, a Clinical Research Training Fellow is testing whether a new method they have developed to detect areas in the heart that cause atrial fibrillation is accurate and that it identifies the correct areas of heart tissue that need treatment. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance (arrhythmia) and it can lead to strokes. We don’t understand how abnormal electrical activity maintains this arrhythmia. Few researchers have investigated the chamber of the heart where the abnormal rhythm originates, the left atrium. Dr Kanagaratnam has developed a new method that picks up flashes of electrical activity, which may help to detect the abnormal areas that cause AF in the left atrium. Then they can deliver ablation treatment to these areas to cure it. In a small clinical trial, the fellow will test if their method works, and if it chooses the right areas to ablate. This research will give us a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying AF, what maintains the abnormal rhythm and how to manage this condition. It may improve the success rate of current treatments because patients need fewer repeated procedures, improving quality of life.