Computationally efficient method for localizing the spiral rotor source using synthetic intracardiac electrograms...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Computational Electrophysiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia causing significant healthcare costs.
• Accurate localization of electrical rotor sources is crucial for effective catheter ablation treatment of AF.
• Current mapping techniques rely heavily on precise anatomical localization of these sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a computationally efficient method for localizing the tip of electrical rotors during AF.
• To utilize simulated atrial intracardiac electrograms (IEGMs) and catheter electrode positions for rotor localization.
• To enable rapid identification of spiral wavefront origins for improved AF ablation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Simulated atrial intracardiac electrograms (IEGMs) during AF were used.
• A novel method was proposed to localize the tip of an Archimedean/arithmetic spiral wavefront.
• The method employs catheter electrode locations and IEGM activation times to estimate wavefront parameters, including tip location.

Main Results:

• The proposed method can localize the spiral wavefront tip as soon as it contacts three catheter electrodes.
• Simulation results demonstrate efficient localization of spiral wavefronts, regardless of rotation direction (clockwise or counterclockwise).
• The computational efficiency of the method was highlighted for real-time applications.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers an efficient approach for localizing electrical rotor tips in AF.
• This technique has the potential to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of catheter-based AF ablation.
• Accurate rotor source localization is key to advancing minimally invasive treatments for cardiac arrhythmias.