Scroll wave with negative filament tension in a model of the left ventricle of the human heart and its overdrive pacing

Abstract

Nonlinear waves of electrical excitation initiate cardiac contraction. Abnormal wave propagation in the heart, e.g., spiral waves, can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. This study analyzed the dynamics of spiral waves under the influence of an instability called negative filament tension, and examined how the spiral waves can be eliminated through high-frequency pacing. A generic anatomical model of the left ventricle of the human heart and the Aliev-Panfilov model for cardiac tissue were used. The study showed that the source of such arrhythmia is elongated filaments with lengths that can be 10-20 times greater than the characteristic thickness of the heart wall. In anisotropic tissue, the filament elongated before it was annihilated at the base of the heart. The spiral waves were eliminated through overdrive pacing with stimulation periods from 0.8 to 0.95 relative to the spiral wave period. The minimum time for the expulsion was about 10 s.