Cellular electrophysiologic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias.
Cardiac arrhythmias result from abnormalities in the initiation of impulses or in the conduction of these impulses through the heart. Arrhythmias caused by impulse initiation may be caused by either automaticity or triggered activity. Arrhythmias caused by abnormalities in conduction are often the result of reentrant excitation. These arrhythmogenic mechanism arise because of alterations in the transmembrane potentials of cardiac cells that are often caused by disease. These cellular mechanisms causing arrhythmias are the subject of this article.
Department of Pharmacology, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York.
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D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D011690:Purkinje Fibers / Q000502:physiology