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Cardiac microstructure: implications for electrical propagation and defibrillation in the heart
Darren A Hooks1, Karl A Tomlinson, Scott G Marsden
1Bioengineering Research Group, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. d.hooks@auckland.ac.nz
Circulation Research
|August 24, 2002
Summary
This study reveals that heart tissue
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Electrophysiology
- Computational Biology
- Cardiac Mechanics
Background:
- The precise mechanisms of cardiac defibrillation remain debated.
- The electrical anisotropy of cardiac tissue is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate defibrillation mechanisms.
- To determine the electrical properties of cardiac tissue.
Main Methods:
- A detailed 3D computer model of cardiac muscular architecture was developed.
- A bidomain model of electrical propagation was solved in a discontinuous domain.
- The model accurately represented a transmural block of rat left ventricle.
Main Results:
- Myocyte laminar organization dictates unique electrical properties in three directions.
- Interlaminar clefts between cardiomyocytes facilitate ventricular activation during defibrillation.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac tissue exhibits anisotropic electrical properties due to myocyte organization.
- Defibrillation efficacy is linked to the role of interlaminar clefts in bulk activation.