20150057522 | Methods, Systems, and Apparatus for Identification and Characterization of Rotors Associated With Atrial Fibrillation - In some embodiments, a system includes a near-field instrument to be placed inside a chamber of a heart, a far-field instrument to be placed in a stable position in relation to the heart (e.g., the coronary sinus), and a control unit. The control unit is configured to receive position coordinates of the near-field instrument and electrogram information from the far-field instrument. The control unit is configured to identify a unique pattern in the electrogram information from the far-field instrument. When the unique pattern is detected, the control unit is configured to receive electrogram information from the near-field instrument and store the associated near-field instrument position information with the unique pattern information and near-field instrument electrogram information. Upon moving the near-field instrument within the heart chamber, the control unit is configured to identify the unique pattern in the electrogram information from the far-field instrument again. Upon detecting the unique pattern, the control unit is configured to receive electrogram information from the near-field instrument at the new position and store the associated new near-field instrument position information with the unique pattern information and near-field instrument electrogram information. While recording electrogram information from the near-field instrument, the control unit is also configured to record voltage and complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE) characteristics of the tissue inside a heart chamber. This information combined with rotor information can be used to identify substrate versus non-substrate rotor characteristics. | 02-26-2015 |