The anatomy of an arrhythmia.
Computer simulations are potentially effective approaches to unraveling the causes of lethal heart rhythm disorders. In this issue of the JCI, Xie et al. have embedded a well-characterized dynamic mechanism for arrhythmia development in an anatomically realistic computer model of the heart. Their demonstration that this simple mechanism governs the behavior of the complex model may provide a new target for strategies to prevent sudden death.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-6401, USA. rfg2@cornell.edu
Robert F
RF
Gilmour
D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation