Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: The Dynamics of Human Atrial Fibrillation
Brief Summary: The study is conducted in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing clinically prescribed ablation. The study hypothesis is that ablation at specific sites that are identified to 'drive' the atrial fibrillation may improve the success of the ablation procedure.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Patients with one of the following AF categories and at least one ECG documentation of AF

   * High burden Paroxysmal defined as ≥ 4 episodes of AF in the last 6 months, and at least one episode \> 6 hours (and no episode requiring cardioversion and no episode \> 7 days)
   * Persistent AF (1) defined as ≥ 4 episodes of AF in the last 6 months, and at least one episode \> 6 hours, and at least one AF episode less than 7 days but requires cardioversion. No AF episodes are \> 7 days
   * Persistent AF (2) as defined by at least one episode of AF \> 7 days but not \> 1 year
   * Long term persistent AF defined as an AF episode, at least one year in length and no episodes \> 3 years
2. Optimal therapy for heart failure of at least 6 weeks (according to 2009 ACCF/AHA class 1 recommendations).
3. HF with NYHA class II or III symptoms with either impaired LV function (LVEF ≤ 45%) as determined by EF assessment within the previous 12 months or preserved LV function (LVEF \> 45%) determined by by EF assessment within the previous 12 months
4. NT-pro BNP measures:

   A) Patient has been hospitalized for Heart Failure\* in the past 9 months, has been discharged AND:

   i- Is presently in Normal Sinus Rhythm and NT-pro BNP is ≥ 400 pg/mL

   ii- Is presently in Atrial Fibrillation and NT-pro BNP is ≥ 600 pg/mL

   OR

   B) Patient has had no hospitalization for Heart Failure in the past 9 months AND:

   i- Has had paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation, is presently in Normal Sinus Rhythm and NT-proBNP is ≥ 600 pg/mL

   ii- Is presently in Atrial Fibrillation and NT-proBNP is ≥ 900 pg/mL

   \*Heart Failure Admission is defined as admission to hospital \> 24 hours and received treatment for Heart failure
5. Suitable candidate for catheter ablation or rate control therapy for the treatment of AF
6. Age ≥18

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Have an LA dimension \> 55 mm as determined by an echocardiography within the previous year
2. Had an acute coronary syndrome or coronary artery bypass surgery within 12 weeks
3. Have rheumatic heart disease, severe aortic or mitral valvular heart disease using the AHA/ACC guidelines
4. Have congenital heart disease including previous ASD repair, persistent left superior vena cava
5. Had prior surgical or percutaneous AF ablation procedure or atrioventricular nodal (AVN) ablation
6. Have a medical condition likely to limit survival to \< 1 year
7. Have New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV heart failure symptoms
8. Have contraindication to systematic anticoagulation
9. Have renal failure requiring dialysis
10. AF due to reversible cause e.g. hyperthyroid state
11. Are pregnant
12. Are included in other clinical trials that will affect the objectives of this study
13. Have a history of non-compliance to medical therapy
14. Are unable or unwilling to provide informed consent
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Subjects will be patients undergoing electrophysiology study and ablation for paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) after having failed \>or= 1 anti-arrhythmic drug.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 18-70 years
2. History of symptomatic paroxysmal AF lasting more than 6 months. Paroxysms of AF are intended as recurrent self-terminating episodes lasting less than 7 days and occurring more than 2 times every month.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy
2. NYHA functional class III or IV
3. Left atrial size \> 65 mm
4. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction \< 35%
5. Contraindication to anticoagulation with warfarin
6. History of myocardial infarction within six months of the procedure
7. Prior catheter or surgical ablation attempt for AF
8. Inability or unwillingness to provide written informed consent
9. Life expectancy less than 1 year
10. Significant comorbid conditions such as: cancer (not cured), end stage renal disease (creatinine clearance \< 20 mL/h), severe chronic obstructive lung disease, cirrhosis, etc)
11. Anticipated cardiac surgery for congenital, valvular, aortic or coronary heart disease.
12. Presence of left atrial thrombus.
13. Prior antiarrhythmic drug therapy with amiodarone, sotalol and flecainide at optimal doses (target 200 mg, 240 mg, 200 mg daily respectively
14. AF burden \< 2 episodes/month
15. WPW
16. Expected survival \< 1 year
17. Contraindications for antiarrhythmics therapy including flecainide, sotalol or amiodarone not listed above:

    * LV hypertrophy (LV mass index \> 125g/m2)
    * thyroid dysfunction (hyperthyroidism or uncontrolled hypothyroidism or thyroid cancer)
    * liver dysfunction (ALT or AST \>2x the reference values)
    * Interstitial lung disease with DLCO\<70% of predicted or severe asthma.
    * QT interval exceeding 400 msec
    * Symptomatic sinus node or atrioventricular node dysfunction unless a pacemaker had been implanted
    * Evidence of stress-induced myocardial ischemia
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Informed consent
* Persistent atrial fibrillation (AF)
* New York Heart Association (NYHA) II, III and IV chronic heart failure (CHF) despite optimal medical therapy for at least 3 months
* left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \<35% - as measured by radionuclide ventriculography (RNVG)
* Patients with CHF secondary to ischaemic and non-ischaemic aetiology

Exclusion Criteria:

* QRS duration \>150ms (or QRS 120-150 with evidence of mechanical cardiac dysynchrony)
* Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - incompatible metallic (ferrous) prosthesis
* Primary valvular disease as a cause of CHF
* Reversible causes of CHF
* Acute myocarditis
* Patients aged 18 or less
* Patients having undergone revascularisation procedures within 6 months
* Paroxysmal AF
* Pregnancy
* Expected cardiac transplantation within 6 months

Answer: B