The Fibrillatory Wave Amplitude of ECG Decreases Over Time in Patients With Persistent AF: A Retrospective Cohort Study

IF 0.9 4区医学 Q4 CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS

Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology Pub Date : 2026-02-13 DOI:10.1111/anec.70161

Jing Li, LingLi Wang, LeiLei Guo, ChunChang Qin

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引用次数: 0

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.

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持续性房颤患者的心电图纤颤波振幅随时间降低：一项回顾性队列研究。

背景：房颤（AF）病史延长与复发率增加相关，对于持续10年以上的房颤不建议消融。在一些发展中国家，患者可能不知道他们的房颤是何时开始的。心电图变化可能与房颤持续时间有关，因此本研究旨在利用心电图估计房颤持续时间。方法：对998例持续性房颤患者进行回顾性队列研究，房颤持续时间为暴露变量，F波振幅和粗F波数为结果。使用多元线性回归、亚组分析和平滑曲线拟合评估相关性。结果：998名参与者中，50.2%为男性，平均年龄73.0岁。平均F波幅值为0.1 mV，平均粗F波数为6.0个。AF持续时间越长，F波振幅越小，粗F波越少。最高四分位数的粗F波明显减少（β = -4.94, 95% CI = -6.24 ~ -3.65, p）。结论：在持续性房颤患者中，较低的F波振幅和较少的粗F波与房颤病史较长相关。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology 医学-心血管系统

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： The ANNALS OF NONINVASIVE ELECTROCARDIOLOGY (A.N.E) is an online only journal that incorporates ongoing advances in the clinical application and technology of traditional and new ECG-based techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients. ANE is the first journal in an evolving subspecialty that incorporates ongoing advances in the clinical application and technology of traditional and new ECG-based techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac patients. The publication includes topics related to 12-lead, exercise and high-resolution electrocardiography, arrhythmias, ischemia, repolarization phenomena, heart rate variability, circadian rhythms, bioengineering technology, signal-averaged ECGs, T-wave alternans and automatic external defibrillation. ANE publishes peer-reviewed articles of interest to clinicians and researchers in the field of noninvasive electrocardiology. Original research, clinical studies, state-of-the-art reviews, case reports, technical notes, and letters to the editors will be published to meet future demands in this field.