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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Recapitulation of an Ion Channel IV Curve Using Frequency Components
Published on: February 8, 2011
Modulation of spiral wave reentry by K(+) channel blockade
Haruo Honjo1, Masatoshi Yamazaki, Kaichiro Kamiya
1Department of Cardiovascular Research, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. honjo@riem.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
It is well established that spiral wave reentry is the primary mechanism of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia, VF/VT), but information is still limited concerning pharmacological modification of spiral waves by ion channel blockers. In this brief review, the antiarrhythmic and proarrhythmic actions of K(+)-channel blockade (I(Kr) and I (K1)) are discussed in terms of spiral wave dynamics, primarily based on recent experimental findings in ventricular preparations perfused in vitro with the aid of high-resolution optical mapping, as well as their related theoretical studies using computer simulation.
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