Atrial fibrillation induces both functional and structural changes in the heart

A study published in the journal Nature Communications, led by the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) and involving researchers from the Cardiovascular Biochemistry Group at the Sant Pau Research Institute and the Biochemistry Service of the same hospital, has revealed essential information about atrial fibrillation and its impact on heart function.

The research, conducted in porcine models, showed that during the progression of atrial fibrillation, there is a disconnect between electrical and mechanical activity in the atrium of the heart. Furthermore, changes in cardiac cells and an increase in atrial fibrosis were observed, suggesting that this type of arrhythmia leads to profound remodeling of cardiac tissue. It was also found that electromechanical dissociation is an early indicator of atrial remodeling in atrial fibrillation, which could be crucial for clinical prognosis.

One of the authors of the study, Dr. Álvaro García Osuna, a physician in the Biochemistry Service and a researcher in the Cardiovascular Biochemistry Group, explains that “in the clinical part of the study, we measured cardiac troponin, which is the biomarker we normally use for the management of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome. We were able to demonstrate a relationship between the progression of atrial fibrillation and an increase in cardiac troponin concentration.”

Another researcher in the study is Dr. Jordi Ordoñez-Llanos from the Biochemistry Service of the Hospital de Sant Pau, who played a prominent role in demonstrating that atrial fibrillation causes damage to myocardial cells in animal models. “This work is an example of the necessary collaboration between experimental and clinical research,” emphasize these experts.

Reference article: Enríquez-Vázquez, D., Quintanilla, J.G., García-Escolano, A. et al. Non-invasive electromechanical assessment during atrial fibrillation identifies underlying atrial myopathy alterations with early prognostic value. Nat Commun 14, 4613 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40196-y