Longer duration of persistent atrial fibrillation is associated with a significant decrease in fibrillatory wave amplitude (β = −0.02) and fewer coarse F waves (β = −4.94) on ECG.
Cohort (n=998)
No
Does the duration of persistent atrial fibrillation correlate with F-wave amplitude and the number of coarse F waves on ECG?
In patients with persistent AF, a longer history of the arrhythmia is nonlinearly associated with lower F-wave amplitudes and fewer coarse F waves on ECG, which may serve as a non-invasive proxy for estimating AF duration.
Effect estimate: β = −4.94 for coarse F waves (95% CI −6.24 to −3.65; p<0.001) and β = −0.02 for F-wave amplitude (95% CI −0.03 to −0.02; p<0.001) comparing highest quartile (>10 years) to lowest (95% CI 95% CI as above)
p-value: p=<0.001
ABSTRACT Background A prolonged history of atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased recurrence rates, and ablation is not recommended for AF lasting over 10 years. In some developing countries, patients may be unaware of when their AF began. Electrocardiogram (ECG) changes may correlate with AF duration, so this study aims to use ECG to estimate AF duration. Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed 998 patients with persistent AF. AF duration was the exposure variable, F‐wave amplitude and number of coarse F waves were outcomes. Correlations were evaluated using multiple linear regression, subgroup analysis, and smooth curve fitting. Results Of the 998 participants, 50.2% were male, with a mean age of 73.0 years. The average F‐wave amplitude was 0.1 mV, and the average number of coarse F waves was 6.0. Longer AF duration was significantly associated with lower F‐wave amplitude and fewer coarse F waves. The highest quartile had significantly fewer coarse F waves ( β = −4.94, 95% CI = −6.24 to −3.65, p < 0.001) and lower amplitude ( β = −0.02, 95% CI = −0.03 to −0.02, p < 0.001) compared to the lowest quartile. A nonlinear inverse correlation was observed with cutoffs at 10.184 and 17.238 years. Additionally, left atrial dimension increased with longer AF duration. Conclusion In patients with persistent AF, lower F‐wave amplitudes and fewer coarse F waves are associated with a longer history of AF.
Li et al. (Fri,) conducted a cohort in Patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (n=998). None (observational study) was evaluated on Correlation between atrial fibrillation duration with ECG fibrillatory wave amplitude and number of coarse F waves (β = −4.94 for coarse F waves (95% CI −6.24 to −3.65; p<0.001) and β = −0.02 for F-wave amplitude (95% CI −0.03 to −0.02; p<0.001) comparing highest quartile (>10 years) to lowest, 95% CI 95% CI as above, p=<0.001). Longer duration of persistent atrial fibrillation is associated with a significant decrease in fibrillatory wave amplitude (β = −0.02) and fewer coarse F waves (β = −4.94) on ECG.