TY - JOUR
T1 - Three-dimensional computer model of the heart
T2 - Fibrillation induced by extrastimulation
AU - Thakor, Nitish V.
AU - Eisenman, Lawrence N.
PY - 1989/12
Y1 - 1989/12
N2 - We present a three-dimensional (3D) computer model that simulates electrical activity in the heart during fibrillation. A real dog heart is discretized to form 1473 interconnected cubic elements. The model exhibits normal activation and recovery from pacing. Five or more extrastimuli induce a self-sustaining tachyarrhythmia that soon degenerates into a fibrillatory rhythm. The extrastimuli increase the excitability of the myocardial cell population. The result is a rapid re-excitation of cells that allows for only a partial recovery of cell action potential. This suggests that a dispersion of refractory states of the cell population is the cause of fibrillation in this computer model.
AB - We present a three-dimensional (3D) computer model that simulates electrical activity in the heart during fibrillation. A real dog heart is discretized to form 1473 interconnected cubic elements. The model exhibits normal activation and recovery from pacing. Five or more extrastimuli induce a self-sustaining tachyarrhythmia that soon degenerates into a fibrillatory rhythm. The extrastimuli increase the excitability of the myocardial cell population. The result is a rapid re-excitation of cells that allows for only a partial recovery of cell action potential. This suggests that a dispersion of refractory states of the cell population is the cause of fibrillation in this computer model.
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U2 - 10.1016/0010-4809(89)90073-6
DO - 10.1016/0010-4809(89)90073-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 2480204
AN - SCOPUS:0024851715
SN - 0010-4809
VL - 22
SP - 532
EP - 545
JO - Computers and Biomedical Research
JF - Computers and Biomedical Research
IS - 6
ER -