The Diagnosis and Clinical Implications of Interatrial Block

• Published in: European Cardiology Review Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 54 - 59
• Main Authors: de Luna, Antonio Bayés, Massó-van Roessel, Albert, Robledo, Luis Alberto Escobar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Radcliffe Cardiology 01.07.2015
• Subjects: Electrophysiology and Sudden Cardiac Death; Bayes Syndrome; prevalence of Interatrial block; paroxysmal AF and interatrial block; P plus/minus in II, III, and VF
• ISSN: 1758-3756; 1758-3764
• DOI: 10.15420/ecr.2015.10.01.54

Impaired interatrial conduction or interatrial block is now well-documented but is not described as an individual electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern in the majority of ECG literature. In fact the term has been adopted to encompass both left atrial enlargement (LAE) and interatrial block. In this paper, we maintain that interatrial blocks and atrial enlargement are separate entities, and that interatrial blocks, similar to other types of blocks at sinoatrial, AV junctional, and ventricular level, exhibit a specific ECG pattern that may present first, second, and third degree types of conduction block. The third degree or advanced interatrial block (A-IAB) is frequently associated with atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFl), and constitutes a true newly-described syndrome.