Stylized heart with glowing electrical pathways against a digital grid.

Decoding Heart Signals: How Signal Fidelity Impacts Atrial Fibrillation Mapping

Lena Kashyap in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Explore how signal clarity affects the accuracy of heart mapping in atrial fibrillation, and what this means for better treatments."

Atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart rhythm disorder, affects millions worldwide, increasing the risk of stroke and heart failure. Mapping the heart's electrical activity is crucial for understanding and treating AF, but the process is often complicated by signal contamination, which obscures the true picture of what's happening in the heart.

Traditional methods of mapping the heart's electrical signals can be inaccurate due to various factors, such as poor electrode contact, interference from other electrical signals, or even the heart's own complex structure. These inaccuracies can lead to unsuccessful treatments and persistent AF, underscoring the need for better methods of assessing signal quality.

Recent research published in Frontiers in Physiology introduces a novel approach to quantify signal fidelity during AF mapping, offering new insights into how signal quality impacts the accuracy of identifying and targeting AF drivers. This article explores the details of this research, its implications for improving AF treatments, and what it means for patients living with this condition.

What is Signal Fidelity and Why Does It Matter in Atrial Fibrillation?

Stylized heart with glowing electrical pathways against a digital grid.

Signal fidelity, in the context of atrial fibrillation mapping, refers to the accuracy and clarity of the electrical signals recorded from the heart. High signal fidelity means the signals are clear, distinct, and accurately represent the heart's electrical activity. Low signal fidelity, on the other hand, indicates that the signals are noisy, distorted, or contaminated, making it difficult to interpret the underlying electrical activity.

Think of it like trying to listen to a radio station through static – the clearer the signal (high fidelity), the easier it is to understand the music or voices. In AF mapping, clear signals are essential for accurately identifying the sources of the arrhythmia, such as rotors or focal points, which can then be targeted for ablation.

Rotational Activity: During AF, the heart's electrical signals can sometimes form spiral patterns, known as rotors. These rotors are thought to be key drivers of AF in some patients.
Phase Maps: Doctors use sophisticated techniques to create “phase maps” of the heart, which visualize the electrical activity and help identify these rotors.
Ablation Targets: Once a rotor is identified, doctors can perform an ablation, using heat or cold to destroy the tissue causing the abnormal electrical activity.

When signal fidelity is low, these phase maps become less reliable, making it harder to pinpoint the exact location of the rotors and increasing the risk of unsuccessful ablation. The new research focuses on developing a way to measure signal fidelity and understand how contamination affects the accuracy of these maps.

Looking Ahead: Improving AF Treatment Through Better Signal Analysis

This research opens new avenues for improving the treatment of atrial fibrillation. By understanding the impact of signal fidelity on AF mapping, doctors can make more informed decisions about when and where to ablate. The ability to quantify signal fidelity could also lead to new techniques for cleaning up noisy signals, improving the accuracy of phase maps, and ultimately increasing the success rates of AF ablation procedures. This is a step towards more effective and personalized treatments for those living with atrial fibrillation.

About this Article -

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Everything You Need To Know

What is signal fidelity in the context of atrial fibrillation, and why is it so important for successful treatment?

In atrial fibrillation mapping, signal fidelity refers to the accuracy and clarity of the electrical signals recorded from the heart. High signal fidelity means the electrical signals accurately represent the heart's activity, while low signal fidelity means the signals are noisy or distorted. This is crucial because doctors use these signals to create phase maps, which help identify the sources of arrhythmia, such as rotors or focal points. Accurate identification of these sources is vital for successful ablation, where the abnormal tissue is destroyed to restore normal heart rhythm. Without high signal fidelity, phase maps become less reliable, which can lead to unsuccessful ablation procedures and persistent atrial fibrillation.

How does low signal fidelity impact the accuracy of phase maps, and what are the consequences for patients undergoing ablation?

Low signal fidelity, characterized by noisy or distorted electrical signals, significantly reduces the accuracy of phase maps used in atrial fibrillation mapping. Phase maps visualize the heart's electrical activity and are used to identify key drivers of the arrhythmia, like rotors. When signal fidelity is low, these maps become less reliable, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of these rotors. This can lead to doctors targeting the wrong areas during ablation, increasing the chances of an unsuccessful procedure. Consequently, patients may experience persistent atrial fibrillation, which increases the risks of stroke and heart failure, necessitating further treatments and potentially impacting their quality of life.

What are rotors and focal points, and how do they relate to the treatment of atrial fibrillation?

Rotors are spiral patterns of electrical activity within the heart, thought to be key drivers of atrial fibrillation in some patients. Focal points are concentrated areas of abnormal electrical activity. Both rotors and focal points disrupt the heart's normal rhythm, leading to atrial fibrillation. During ablation, doctors target these areas by destroying the tissue causing the abnormal activity. Identifying these targets accurately is essential for successful ablation, which helps restore normal heart rhythm and reduce the risk of stroke and heart failure. Using phase maps helps doctors visualize and pinpoint these key areas for ablation.

Besides signal contamination, what other factors can influence the accuracy of heart mapping, and what are the implications?

Besides signal contamination, several factors can affect the accuracy of heart mapping. These include poor electrode contact, interference from other electrical signals, and the heart's complex structure. Inaccurate mapping due to these factors can lead to misidentification of the sources of atrial fibrillation, such as rotors, leading to ineffective treatment strategies. This can result in unsuccessful ablation procedures, persistent atrial fibrillation, and increased risks of stroke and heart failure. Therefore, ensuring high signal fidelity and accounting for these other factors are crucial for improving treatment outcomes and patient safety.

How might the ability to quantify signal fidelity lead to improvements in atrial fibrillation treatment?

The ability to quantify signal fidelity opens new avenues for enhancing atrial fibrillation treatment. By measuring and understanding how signal quality affects the accuracy of phase maps, doctors can make more informed decisions about when and where to perform ablation. Quantifying signal fidelity also allows for the development of new techniques to clean up noisy signals. Cleaning up noisy signals will improve the accuracy of phase maps and ultimately increase the success rates of ablation procedures. This could lead to more effective and personalized treatments, improving outcomes for those living with atrial fibrillation, and potentially reducing the need for repeat procedures.