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Mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias

Gary Tse1

  • 1School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Journal of Arrhythmia
|April 20, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac arrhythmias arise from disruptions in the heart's electrical activation. This review explores the ionic basis of the cardiac action potential and arrhythmogenesis mechanisms, detailing recent advancements.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Cardiac Physiology

Background:

  • Blood circulation relies on the heart's mechanical pumping, driven by electrical activation.
  • Disruptions in cardiac excitation waves cause arrhythmias, impacting heart function.
  • Understanding ionic contributions to the cardiac action potential is crucial for arrhythmia research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the ionic mechanisms underlying the cardiac action potential.
  • To outline classification systems for arrhythmogenesis.
  • To discuss mechanisms of arrhythmia generation and maintenance, highlighting recent advances.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on cardiac electrophysiology and action potentials.
  • Analysis of different arrhythmogenesis classification systems.
  • Detailed discussion of specific arrhythmia mechanisms based on ionic contributions.

Main Results:

  • The review details the ionic basis of the cardiac action potential.
  • Various arrhythmogenesis classification systems are presented.
  • Recent advances in understanding arrhythmia mechanisms are highlighted.

Conclusions:

  • Knowledge of ionic contributions to cardiac action potentials is essential for understanding arrhythmias.
  • The review provides a comprehensive overview of arrhythmia mechanisms and recent progress.
  • Further research into these mechanisms can lead to improved arrhythmia treatments.

Keywords:
Arrhythmogenic mechanismsFocal activityIon channelopathyReentrySudden cardiac death

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