title: Electroporation of the heart.
abstract: Defibrillation shocks are commonly used to terminate life-threatening arrhythmias. According to the excitation theory of defibrillation, such shocks are aimed at depolarizing the membranes of most cardiac cells resulting in resynchronization of electrical activity in the heart. If shock-induced changes in transmembrane potential are large enough, they can cause transient tissue damage due to electroporation. In this review evidence is presented that (a) electroporation of the heart tissue can occur during clinically relevant intensities of the external electrical field, and (b) electroporation can affect the outcome of defibrillation therapy; being both pro- and anti-arrhythmic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Vladimir P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Nikolski
authors.forename: Igor R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Efimov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004396:Coloring Agents; D018274:Electroporation; D004597:Electroshock / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006321:Heart; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents