Control of electrical alternans in canine cardiac purkinje fibers

Alternation in the duration of consecutive cardiac action potentials (electrical alternans) may precipitate conduction block and the onset of arrhythmias. Consequently, suppression of alternans using properly timed premature stimuli may be antiarrhythmic. To determine the extent to which alternans c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2006-03, Vol.96 (10), p.104101-104101, Article 104101
Main Authors: Christini, David J, Riccio, Mark L, Culianu, Calin A, Fox, Jeffrey J, Karma, Alain, Gilmour, Jr, Robert F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Action Potentials
Animals
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - diagnosis
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - pathology
Biophysics - methods
Dogs
Electrocardiography
Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac - instrumentation
Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac - methods
Heart Conduction System
Heart Ventricles
Purkinje Fibers - metabolism
Time Factors
Ventricular Fibrillation
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Summary:Alternation in the duration of consecutive cardiac action potentials (electrical alternans) may precipitate conduction block and the onset of arrhythmias. Consequently, suppression of alternans using properly timed premature stimuli may be antiarrhythmic. To determine the extent to which alternans control can be achieved in cardiac tissue, isolated canine Purkinje fibers were paced from one end using a feedback control method. Spatially uniform control of alternans was possible when alternans amplitude was small. However, control became attenuated spatially as alternans amplitude increased. The amplitude variation along the cable was well described by a theoretically expected standing wave profile that corresponds to the first quantized mode of the one-dimensional Helmholtz equation. These results confirm the wavelike nature of alternans and may have important implications for their control using electrical stimuli.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.104101