Unstable eigenmodes are possible drivers for cardiac arrhythmias.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 21571942.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1098/rsif.2011.0152 and PMC identifier 3119886.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The well-organized contraction of each heartbeat is enabled by an electrical wave traversing and exciting the myocardium in a regular manner. Perturbations to this wave, referred to as arrhythmias, can lead to lethal fibrillation if not treated within minutes. One manner in which arrhythmias originate is an ill-fated interaction of the regular electrical signal controlling the heartbeat, the sinus wave, with an ectopic stimulus. It is not fully understood how and when ectopic waves are generated. Based on mathematical models, we show that ectopic beats can be characterized in terms of unstable eigenmodes of the resting state.
Medical subject headings
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac
- Models, Cardiovascular
- Myocardial Contraction