Effects of acute reduction of temperature on ventricular fibrillation activation patterns

Because of its electrophysiological effects, hypothermia can influence the mechanisms that intervene in the sustaining of ventricular fibrillation. We hypothesized that a rapid and profound reduction of myocardial temperature impedes the maintenance of ventricular fibrillation, leading to terminatio...

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Published in:American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology 2002-12, Vol.52 (6), p.H2331-H2340
Main Authors: CHORRO, Francisco J, GUERRERO, Juan, SUCH, Luis, FERRERO, Angel, TORMOS, Alvaro, MAINAR, Luis, MILLET, José, CANOVES, Joaquin, PORRES, Juan C, SANCHIS, Juan, LOPEZ-MERINO, Vicente
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy & physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiac arrhythmia
Cardiac dysrhythmias
Cardiology. Vascular system
Heart
Medical sciences
Temperature
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Summary:Because of its electrophysiological effects, hypothermia can influence the mechanisms that intervene in the sustaining of ventricular fibrillation. We hypothesized that a rapid and profound reduction of myocardial temperature impedes the maintenance of ventricular fibrillation, leading to termination of the arrhythmia. High-resolution epicardial mapping (series 1; n = 11) and transmural recordings of ventricular activation (series 2; n = 10) were used to analyze ventricular fibrillation modification during rapid myocardial cooling in Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. Myocardial cooling was produced by the injection of cold Tyrode into the left ventricle after induction of ventricular fibrillation. Temperature and ventricular fibrillation dominant frequency decay fit an exponential model to arrhythmia termination in all experiments, and both parameters were significantly correlated (r = 0.70, P < 0.0001). Termination of the arrhythmia occurred preferentially in the left ventricle and was associated with a reduction in conduction velocity (-60% in left ventricle and -54% in right ventricle; P < 0.0001) and with activation maps predominantly exhibiting a single wave front, with evidence of wave front extinction. We conclude that a rapid reduction of temperature to
ISSN:0363-6135
1522-1539