Journal of Arrhythmia (Dec 2014)

The usefulness of nifekalant for activation mapping of premature beat-triggered atrial fibrillation: Suppression of atrial fibrillation initiation without inhibiting premature beat

  • Masaharu Masuda, MD,
  • Yuji Okuyama, MD, PhD,
  • Hiroya Mizuno, MD, PhD,
  • Hitoshi Minamiguchi, MD,
  • Shozo Konishi, MD,
  • Tsuyoshi Mishima, MD,
  • Tomohito Ohtani, MD, PhD,
  • Shinsuke Nanto, MD, PhD,
  • Yasushi Sakata, MD, PhD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joa.2014.01.003
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 30, no. 6
pp. 513 – 514

Abstract

Read online

A 66-year-old man underwent a second ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Intravenous isoproterenol administration caused the atrial premature beat (APB), triggering AF. The APB originated in the right atrium and invariably initiated AF. Therefore, contact activation mapping could not be performed without frequent electrocardioversion. To prevent the initiation of AF without inhibiting the APB firing, we administered nifekalant intravenously, which facilitated precise activation mapping and ablation of the AF-triggering APB. The administration of nifekalant may improve clinical outcomes of catheter ablation for AF triggered by non-pulmonary vein APB, which invariably initiates AF.

Keywords