Functional model of dual AV nodal pathway physiology

Role of dual AV nodal pathway physiology in the atrioventricular nodal (AVN) conduction during atrial arrhythmias remains unclear. By using His electrogram alternans (HEA), we have developed a functional model of the atrioventricular conduction that incorporates the dual AV nodal pathway physiology. Experiments performed on 5 rabbit atrial-AVN preparations were used to develop and test the presented AV nodal functional model. HEAs from the inferior margin of the His bundle were used to identify fast and slow wavefront propagations (FP and SP). Conduction curves were calculated by using the model and compared with the real experiments, the root mean square error of the FP and SP were 7 ± 4ms and 3 ± 3 ms respectively. In addition, the model has been used for illustrating the effects of the atrioventricular node modification, which has emerged as one of the alternatives for ventricular rate control during atrial fibrillation. The presented model can help in understanding some of the unclear AV node conduction mechanisms and should be considered as a step forward in understanding the AV node and specifically its dual pathway physiology.