Unequal Atrial Stretch in dogs Increases Dispersion of Refractoriness Conducive to developing Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

Atrial ERP in the thin right atrial free wall exceeds the ERP of the thick crista terminalis, and an increase in atrial pressure produced by saline infusion exaggerates this difference by stretching thin segments of the atrial myocardium more than it stretches thick regions. Thus, atrial stretch, by increasing the dispersion of atrial ERP, may be conducive to the development of atrial fibrillation.