The MAIN GOAL of this project is to clinically validate the technology for the noninvasive identification of the mechanisms responsible for maintenance of AF using ECGI. To achieve this goal, the investigators will analyze the efficacy of different treatment options in persistent AF patients as a function of the results of the ECGI. Mainly, patients will be evaluated attending to the complexity of the patterns obtained. Moreover, the investigators will evaluate the treatment benefit of performing guided-ablation in conjunction with pulmonary vein isolation as compared to pulmonary vein isolation only. These analyses will be performed in patients with persistent AF arriving at the clinic to determine treatment options. AF outcomes following the treatment assigned therapy will be evaluated at 6 months and 1 year after.~These parameters are obtained from the ECGI map: histogram of rotors (number of rotors and location), Highest and Lowest Dominant Frequency (Hz), rotor duration (ms), simultaneous rotors (number of rotors) and signal entropy (normalized).~Wide antrum circumferential pulmonary vein isolation with demonstration of bidirectional block will be performed using standard cooled-tip radiofrequency catheters or cryoballoon catheters.
Atrial fibrillation treatments have a limited efficacy and often cause long-term side effects. This study aims to develop and validate an ECGI system to risk stratification in patients with persistent AF, identifying the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance and the best treatment for ending it.