Rotors and the dynamics of cardiac fibrillation

Area of Science:

• Electrophysiology
• Cardiac Arrhythmias

Background:

• Cardiac fibrillation, including atrial and ventricular fibrillation, is a life-threatening arrhythmia.
• Reentry phenomena have long been implicated in the mechanisms of cardiac fibrillation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of cardiac electric rotors and spiral waves in the context of cardiac fibrillation.
• To explore the role of these phenomena in human cardiac fibrillation and potential therapeutic interventions.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cardiac electrophysiology, rotor dynamics, and fibrillation mechanisms.
• Analysis of concepts including phase singularities, wavefront curvature, and dominant frequency mapping.
• Examination of the influence of cardiac structure and ionic properties on rotor formation and maintenance.

Main Results:

• Cardiac electric rotors and spiral waves are fundamental to the spatiotemporal organization of fibrillation across species.
• Rotor dynamics are influenced by cardiac structure and ionic channel function.
• Evidence suggests rotors are critical in sustaining human atrial and ventricular fibrillation.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac electric rotors are pivotal in maintaining atrial and ventricular fibrillation.
• Targeting rotors with therapies like radiofrequency ablation shows promise for treating cardiac fibrillation.
• Further research into rotor dynamics can inform novel drug therapies.