Focal Atrial Fibrillation: Experimental Evidence for a Pathophysiologic Role of the Autonomic Nervous System

Abstract

High-frequency electrical stimulation evokes rapid ectopic beats from the PV/SVC, which show variable degrees of conduction block to the atria and induce AF, resembling findings in patients with focal idiopathic paroxysmal AF. The occurrence of the arrhythmia in this animal model was likely due to alterations in local autonomic tone by high-frequency electrical stimulation. Further research is needed to prove absolutely that the observed effects of high-frequency electrical stimulation were caused by autonomic nerve stimulation.