vol.14 An elucidation of the triggered activity formation mechanisms leading to lethal arrhythmias

 
Researcher: Kunichika Tsumoto
Affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Physiology II, Kanazawa Medical University
 

Abstract: The heart is the pump responsible for blood circulation, the work of life. Electricity (excitation) flowing accurately within the heart is required to function properly for the blood pump. An abnormality in the electrical flow (propagation of excitation waves caused by the excitation of myocardial cells) is arrhythmias, and ventricular arrhythmias may be lethal. Although it has believed that excessive sustained excitation of myocardial cells causes abnormal electrical impulses, leading to the development of lethal arrhythmias, how ventricular arrhythmias are triggered by their electrical impulses is still not understood. In this study, we repeated simulations of excitation propagation on a myocardial sheet model consisting of human ventricular myocytes under various conditions using OCTOPUS in Cybermedia Center, Osaka University, and succeeded in elucidating the mechanism of the triggering phenomenon (triggered activity), resulting in the development of the lethal arrhythmia. These results will be useful for establishing methods to predict and prevent arrhythmia developments.




Posted : April 24,2023