Oscillatory vagal maneuvers produce ventricular entrainment in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained dysrhythmia and appears to be an independent predictor of sudden cardiac death. The irregular ventricular rhythm contains both linear and non-linear patterns; however, it remains unclear whether vagally mediated effects are present within these patterns.

Objective: We sought to determine if (1) power spectral analysis of heart rate can detect changes in vagal activity in patients with AF and (2) if the vagus modulates ventricular response during AF.