Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
In Silico Clinical Trials for Cardiovascular Disease
Published on: May 27, 2022
The effect of electrical conductivity of myocardium on cardiac pumping efficacy: a computational study
Ana Rahma Yuniarti1, Ki Moo Lim2
1Department of IT Convergence Engineering, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, 61 Daehak-ro, Gumi, 39177, South Korea.
Insights
Higher myocardial conduction velocity (MCV) improves cardiac pumping efficiency, reducing energy consumption while increasing work output. This study quantifies the relationship between MCV and cardiac mechanical performance.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Computational Biology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Non-excitable cells in the myocardium cause electrical conduction non-uniformity and reduced conductivity.
- Slowed myocardial conduction velocity (MCV) is linked to cardiac arrhythmias and altered mechanical pumping efficacy.
- Limited clinical methods hinder direct evaluation of MCV's impact on cardiac mechanics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively assess cardiac pumping efficacy under varying MCV conditions.
- To investigate the correlation between MCV and cardiac mechanical performance.
- To utilize a 3D electromechanical model of a canine failing ventricle.
Main Methods:
- Developed a coupled electromechanical model including a circulatory system model.
- Simulated electrical activity across five MCV conditions (30-70 cm/s) during sinus pacing.
- Compared electrical activation time (EAT), pressure, volume, and myocardial energy consumption (ATP) across MCV conditions.
Main Results:
- Increased MCV correlated with decreased EAT, energy consumption, and ventricular volumes.
- Higher MCV led to increased systolic pressure, stroke volume, and stroke work.
- Cardiac function demonstrated greater efficiency with higher MCV, performing more work with less energy.
Conclusions:
- Myocardial conduction velocity (MCV) is strongly correlated with cardiac pumping efficacy.
- Findings offer insights into MCV's electro-physiological and hemodynamic effects.
- Results can inform future research on arrhythmogenesis and heart failure.
Background And Aims:
The existence of non-excitable cells in the myocardium leads to the increasing conduction non-uniformity and decreasing myocardial electrical conductivity. Slowed myocardial conduction velocity (MCV) believed to enhance the probability of cardiac arryhthmia and alter the cardiac mechanical pumping efficacy, even in sinus rhythm. Though several studies on the correlation between MCV and cardiac electrical instabilities exist, there has been no study concerning correlation or causality between MCV and cardiac mechanical pumping efficacy, due to the limitation in clinical methods to document and evaluate cardiac mechanical responses directly. The goal of this study was to examine quantitatively the cardiac pumping efficacy under various MCV conditions using three-dimensional (3D) electromechanical model of canine's failing ventricle.
Methods:
The electromechanical model used in this study composed of the electrical model coupled with the mechanical contraction model along with a lumped model of the circulatory system. The electrical model consisted of 241,725 nodes and 1,298,751 elements of tetrahedral mesh, whereas the mechanical model consisted of 356 nodes and 172 elements of hexahedral mesh with Hermite basis. First, we performed the electrical simulation for five different MCV conditions, from 30 to 70 cm/s with 10 cm/s interval during sinus pacing. Then, we compared the cardiac electrical and mechanical responses of each MCV condition, such as the electrical activation time (EAT), pressure, volume, and energy consumption of the myocardium. The energy consumption of the myocardium was calculated by integrating ATP consumption rate of each node in myofilament model.
Results:
The result showed that under higher MCV conditions, the EAT, energy consumption, end diastolic and systolic volume are gradually decreased. Meanwhile, the systolic pressure, stroke volume, stroke work, and stroke work to ATP are increased as the MCV values increased. The cardiac functions and performances are more efficient under higher MCV conditions by consuming smaller energy (ATP) while carrying more works.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this study reveals that MCV has strong correlation with the cardiac pumping efficacy. The obtained results provide useful information to estimate the effect of MCV on the electro-physiology and hemodynamic responses of the ventricle and can be used for further study about arrhythmogeneis and heart failure.
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