STUDY OF THE ELECTROARCHITECTURAL SUBSTRATE IN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
Research type
Research Study
Full title
THE CONTACT ELECTROGRAM AND ITS ARCHITECTURAL DETERMINANTS IN PERSISTENT HUMAN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: UNDERSTANDING THE ELECTROARCHITECTURE OF THE ARRHYTHMIC SUBSTRATE
IRAS ID
114824
Contact name
Phang Boon Lim
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Research summary
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder, and causes
breathlessness, palpitations and strokes. “Catheter ablation“ is one option in the
treatment of atrial fibrillation. This involves placing specialised instruments into the
heart (catheters) through blood vessels in the groin. These catheters are capable of
delivering heat energy to destroy the inner lining of the heart (ablation) in areas which
display characteristic abnormal electrical activity. However, at the moment, the success rate of this
treatment has been only average as the understanding of how and why these
abnormal electrical signals arise is poor. We propose that these abnormal electrical
signals can arise as a result of scarring in the heart muscle, and have developed a
unique technique using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect this “scar“ tissue
in greater detail. We will study how this scarring within the heart contributes to these abnormal electrical signals in this common condition.
Research goals: The objective of the research is to understand how abnormal electrical signals found in patients with atrial fibrillation arise, and how these electrical signals are associated with scarring of the heart muscle.
Potential benefit of research: The better understanding of these abnormal electrical signals will enable us to improve the success rates of this procedure, as well as to select patients that will benefit most from this treatment of their atrial fibrillation.REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1169
Date of REC Opinion
16 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion