Rapid pacing results in changes in atrial but not in ventricular refractoriness

It is well known that atrial tachycardia causes atrial electrical remodeling, characterized by shortening of atrial effective refractory periods (AERPs) and loss of physiological adaptation of AERP to rate. However, the nature and time course of changes in ventricular effective refractory periods (VERP) caused by rapid rates are to be established. After being instrumented with epicardial electrodes on both atria and both ventricles nine goats were subjected to 1 week of rapid AV pacing with a rate of 240 beats/min and an AV delay of 100 ms. Pacing was only interrupted for measurement of left and right AERPs and VERPs at three basic cycle lengths (BCL) of 400 ms, 300 ms, and 200 ms during sinus rhythm in the conscious animal. Left and right AERPs decreased at all BCLs, reaching minimum values after 3 days (right AERP at BCL of 400 ms, 96 +/- 16 ms after 3 days vs 144 +/- 16 ms at baseline, P < 0.05). In contrast, both left and right VERPs did not change at any BCL. This study demonstrates a difference between the atria and ventricles with respect to tachycardia induced changes in refractoriness.