title: Vulnerability for reentry in a three dimensional model of human atria: a simulation study.
abstract: Atrial tachycardias are the most common cardiac arrhythmias in clinical practice, which induce changes in atrial properties that help to perpetuate them. These changes are called "atrial remodeling". Recent studies have shown that rapid ectopic activity principally on the pulmonary veins can trigger reentrant mechanisms and lead to atrial tachycardias. However, the influences of ectopic foci location, the number of ectopic beats and its frequency on the likelihood of triggering reentries are not well known. In this work the effects of electrical remodeling were incorporated in an atrial cell model and integrated in a three-dimensional model of human atria, to develop a study of vulnerability for reentries. To carry out the study, an ectopic beat and a burst of six ectopic beats at two different frequencies were applied in six different locations in the atria. The results show greater vulnerability in the left pulmonary veins when we applied a single ectopic beat. When we increase the number of ectopic beats to six, a greater width of the vulnerable window was observed when ectopic focus frequency was high. The location, the number of ectopic beats and their frequency affect the vulnerability for reentry.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, (I3BH), Valencia, 46022 Spain. ctobon@gbio.i3bh.es
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tobon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hornero
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferrero
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saiz
mesh_terms: D018880:Atrial Premature Complexes; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D011667:Pulmonary Veins; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*