Atrial pace mapping with automatic intracardiac pattern matching for non-pulmonary vein trigger ablation: accuracy and feasibility

Abstract Atrial pace mapping (APM) is an alternative method to localize non-pulmonary vein (non-PV) triggers of atrial fibrillation(AF) that are otherwise not eligible for activation mapping due to their instability. The technique applies pattern matching of p-waves and intracardiac signals of atrial trigger and pacing from the site of the suspected origin. A new automated algorithm for intracardiac (IC) pattern matching was recently introduced into the 3D mapping system using the unipolar signal of the reference catheter. The study aims to assess the accuracy and feasibility of APM using IC-pattern matching for localizing non-PV triggers. Methods We assessed the precision of APM using a single chamber and double chamber reference in 20 patients who underwent index pulmonary vein isolation. APM was performed at the anterior and posterior wall of the left atrium (LApost, Laant) and the posterior and lateral wall of the right atrium (Rapost, Ralat). The first pacing point was declared as the origin. The IC-pattern matching algorithm was applied to calculate the similarity of the IC-pattern of the origin to the paced IC-pattern across various distances. The distribution of IC-pattern similarities was analyzed in the Python environment. The feasibility of APM was tested in patients who underwent REDO ablation of AF if all PVs were isolated and no low-voltage substrate was detected. The induction protocol for non-PV triggers included programmed and burst atrial pacing, high-dose isoproterenol, and adenosine infusion. If the IC pattern of the trigger was reproducible, the IC pattern matching was conducted. Ablation was performed at the site of the best IC-pattern matching. Results Atrial PM with IC-pattern matching and a single referent catheter showed lower precision in the RA lateral region (the median[Q1; Q3 ]area of 5% best matching score 1.48 [0.76; 2.01], 0.62[0.15; 1.06], 0.6[0.38; 1.19] and 5.68[2.89; 11.1] cm2 for LApost, LAant, RApost, RAlat accordingly, p = 0.0316). IC-pattern matching with double referent catheter showed high precision at all four anatomical regions (the median [Q1; Q3] area of 5% best matching score 0.126 [0.0879; 0.356], 0.486 [0.205; 0.717], 0.269 [0.198; 0.719], and 0.257 [0.0740; 0.572] cm2 for LApost, LAant, RApost, RAlat accordingly, Fig. 1). Seven out of 37 patients referred to REDO ablation had all PV isolated and absence of low-voltage substrate. In 3 of them, sustained tachycardias (AVNRT, focal atrial tachycardia and typical atrial flutter) were induced, mapped, and ablated. Non-sustained FAT from the RA posterior wall and PAC in the RA septum were induced under the high-dose isoproterenol infusion in two patients. Atrial pace mapping with double chamber referent and successful ablation of these non-PV triggers were performed (Fig.2). Conclusion The atrial pace mapping of non-PV triggers employing the automatic intracardiac pace mapping algorithm is feasible with high accuracy if a double-chamber referent is used.Accuracy of atrial pace mappingNon-PV trigger pace mapping