'Vanishing' fragmented potential at the epicardium in a patient with Brugada syndrome

A man in his 40s with Brugada syndrome underwent catheter ablation for ventricular fibrillation. When we performed epicardial mapping again to check for residual ablation sites after ablation, a remarkable reproducible fragmented potential was observed at the anterior aspect of the right ventricle using an Advisor HD Grid (Abbott), which had not been detected during the initial mapping before ablation, and which was invisible to the ablation catheter. Fluoroscopic imaging demonstrated a shiny area anterior to the heart, suggesting trapped air, presumed to have arisen when the sheath was inserted into the pericardial space. The air trapped between the heart and pericardium prevented the HD grid from contacting the epicardium, resulting in the recording of a fragmented potential. The trapped air was removed manually via the sheath, and the potential vanished. When fragmented potentials are observed at the anterior right ventricle (RV) in the epicardium, air trapping should be ruled out by fluoroscopy.