A method to quantify the dynamics and complexity of re-entry in computational models of ventricular fibrillation

Ventricular fibrillation is a deadly cardiac arrhythmia. There is evidence that electrical activity in cardiac tissue is sustained during fibrillation by re-entrant waves that rotate around filaments. In this paper we develop a method for identifying and tracking filaments in a computational model of ventricular fibrillation. This method identifies the birth, death, bifurcation and amalgamation of filaments and these events are summarized on a directed graph. The approach described in this study provides ways to quantify the complex patterns of electrical activity seen in computational models of fibrillation, to relate the behaviour of computational models to experimental data and thus to gain insights into the underlying mechanisms of this dangerous arrhythmia.