Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia is most commonly seen in which condition?

• A. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
• B. COPD
• C. Myocardial infarction
• D. Hypokalemia

Answer: (B)

MAT presents as an irregular rhythm with at least three different P-wave morphologies, reflecting multiple atrial pacemaker sites firing. This pattern is most strongly linked to chronic lung disease, especially COPD, where long-standing hypoxemia, hyperinflation, and right atrial enlargement promote atrial irritability and remodeling that create several ectopic atrial foci. That combination makes COPD the condition most commonly associated with MAT. Other conditions can cause arrhythmias, but they don’t fit the typical MAT pattern: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy more often leads to atrial fibrillation from left atrial dilation; myocardial infarction can cause various tachyarrhythmias; and electrolyte disturbances like hypokalemia can alter conduction but don’t specifically produce MAT.