Abstract
There are established anti-coagulation therapy and various rhythm and/or rate control therapies for atrial fibrillation treatment, although any therapies have unsolved problems. The efficacy of local brain cooling for epilepsy was previously reported. Atrial fibrillation is affected by various electrical abnormal activities on occurrence and maintenance, same as epilepsy. There were few reports of the investigation for cooling maneuver on the control of atrial fibrillation. We investigate the efficacy of local cooling maneuver for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the animal model. We use goats to experiment for local cooling maneuver for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. We record the intra-cardiac electrogram by inserting a multi-electrode catheter which is placed for suitable right atrial site to distinguish the atrial electrogram from the ventricular one via juggler vein. We approach the beating heart by left thoracotomy in the anesthesized condition, and induce atrial fibrillation by giving direct current stimulation on left atrial surface. Induced atrial fibrillation rarely terminate spontaneously, then we utilize the Peltier device to cool left atrial surface after induced atrial fibrillation is sustained for 1 minute. Frequently we can observe termination of atrial fibrillation and restoration of sinus rhythm in 3 minute's cooling. The local atrial cooling maneuver might be effective for termination of atrial fibrillation.
