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#EHRATopicWeek Focal or reentrant? Modern insights into atrial tachycardia
What we once called “focal” AT is often far more complex.
Traditionally, focal AT (FAT) was defined as activation spreading centrifugally from a discrete site. Today, high-resolution mapping has revealed that many apparently focal tachycardias are actually tiny localized reentrant circuits — micro-reentrant ATs (MiRATs).
📌 True focal AT is mainly driven by:
• enhanced automaticity
• triggered activity
Meanwhile, localized reentrant ATs (LRATs) commonly occur in scarred atria or after previous ablation procedures and are characterized by slow conduction and long fractionated electrograms.
⚡ Modern EP increasingly relies on:
• high-density mapping
• entrainment mapping
• electrogram interpretation
• detailed anatomical understanding
Common AT locations include the crista terminalis, pulmonary veins, left atrial ridge, septal regions, and prior ablation scars.
💡 The more we map atrial tachycardias, the more we understand that “focal” does not always mean focal.
📖 Read more in the
#EHRA_ESC Consensus document on Atrial Tachycardias 👉
bit.ly/4wk5sBn
@escardio @EuropaceEiC