Characterization of atrial tachyarrhythmias by means of time frequency analysis

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and atrial tachychardia are all atrial tachyarrhythmias whose behavior, evolution and activation mechanism are under analysis. Time-frequency analysis applied to an estimation of the atrial signal allows the characterization of tachyarrhythmia signal on frequency and time dunmin. In addition. the selection of a set of frequency parameters and a staristical evaiuation make possible the definition of patterns which describe the typical behavior observed. Our methodology has been applied in a blind manner in Holter monitoring database formed by 60 episodes which belong CO 25 patients. We have found 49 episodes of abnormal rhythms with a mean duration of 79.8. The results are the definition of three patterns: one of flutter (15 cases), and two distinct patterns during PAF: a chaotic one (23 cases) and a very uniform one (11 cases).