Function of atrioventricular node conduction: hyperbolic model

Twenty four patients were subjected to an electrophysiologic clinical procedure. The conventional extrastimulus test was applied to verify the relation between conduction time increase through the atrioventricular node of the extrastimulus beat (delta AH), and its preceding interval (A1A2). Following the least square root method the parameters of the hyperbolic model delta AH.A1A2 = m . delta AH + n were adjusted. The correlation coefficients obtained and tested in all cases were very high and significant. From this hyperbolic equation it was possible to determine the equations for the effective refractory period (ERPe = m) and functional refractory period (FRPe = ERPe + n). The theoretical values for refractoriness approached very closely those of the actually measured ERP and FRP, in all cases. This model proved to be, in respect to adjustments and especially in calculating refractory periods, at least as good as the exponential model proposed previously by other authors.