Stretch pulses and cardiac arrhythmias in rat hearts: is it a good model?

Franz, Michael R.

doi:10.1113/expphysiol.2009.049817

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…This process is well understood and many known situations lead to the appearance of an ectopic beat in pathological or physiological conditions. Just to name two of them, in a healthy heart, an external impact may stretch some region of the heart and via stretch-activated ion channels, cardiac myocytes may coordinately generate action potentials that may initiate a second wave [ 8 ]. In an infarct region, gap junctional remodeling, fibroblast to myocyte coupling, and fibrosis can significantly slow down wave propagation when it enters the infarct region, so that the wave leaves the region detached from the sinus wave, that is, when a second wave or ectopic beat appears [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation of Ectopic Pacemakers in the Heart: Multiple Ectopic Beats Generated by Reentry inside Fibrotic Regions

Barros

Santos

Lobosco

et al. 2015

BioMed Research International

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The inclusion of nonconducting media, mimicking cardiac fibrosis, in two models of cardiac tissue produces the formation of ectopic beats. The fraction of nonconducting media in comparison with the fraction of healthy myocytes and the topological distribution of cells determines the probability of ectopic beat generation. First, a detailed subcellular microscopic model that accounts for the microstructure of the cardiac tissue is constructed and employed for the numerical simulation of action potential propagation. Next, an equivalent discrete model is implemented, which permits a faster integration of the equations. This discrete model is a simplified version of the microscopic model that maintains the distribution of connections between cells. Both models produce similar results when describing action potential propagation in homogeneous tissue; however, they slightly differ in the generation of ectopic beats in heterogeneous tissue. Nevertheless, both models present the generation of reentry inside fibrotic tissues. This kind of reentry restricted to microfibrosis regions can result in the formation of ectopic pacemakers, that is, regions that will generate a series of ectopic stimulus at a fast pacing rate. In turn, such activity has been related to trigger fibrillation in the atria and in the ventricles in clinical and animal studies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%