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Suppress Winfree turbulence by local forcing excitable systems
Hong Zhang1, Zhoujian Cao, Ning-Jie Wu
1Zhejiang Institute of Modern Physics and Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Physical Review Letters
|May 21, 2005
Summary
Winfree turbulence, a cause of cardiac fibrillation, can be suppressed using local periodic signals in 3D excitable media. This new method is efficient and shows promise for practical, low-amplitude defibrillation.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Biophysics
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Winfree turbulence is a key factor in cardiac fibrillation.
- Existing turbulence suppression methods are often inefficient or complex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a local stimulation method for suppressing Winfree turbulence in 3D excitable media.
- To demonstrate the efficacy of low-amplitude periodic excitations for turbulence control.
Main Methods:
- A local stimulation technique was developed for 3D excitable media.
- Periodic signals were injected into a small subset of space sites.
- The suppression of Winfree turbulence was analyzed.
Main Results:
- Winfree turbulence was effectively suppressed by local periodic signal injection.
- A small surface region was sufficient for effective turbulence control.
- The method demonstrated high efficiency, convenience, and speed.
Conclusions:
- Local low-amplitude periodic excitations can effectively suppress turbulence in 3D excitable media.
- This approach offers significant improvements over existing strategies.
- The method has potential for developing into a practical defibrillation technique.