Electrical storm and calcium signaling: a review.
Electrical storm (ES), characterized by recurrent ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, is a serious condition, adversely affecting prognosis in patients with implantable cardioverter/defibrillators. Electrical storm patients often die of progressive heart failure, but the underlying molecular basis is poorly understood. We have recently created an animal model of ES that features repetitive implantable cardioverter/defibrillator firing for recurrent ventricular fibrillation and found that ES events cause striking activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and prominent alteration of Ca(2+)-handling protein phosphorylation, possibly explaining mechanical dysfunction and arrhythmia promotion that characterize ES. Here, the pathophysiology and potential therapeutic strategies for ES, based on experimental and clinical studies by us and others, are described.
Department of Cardiovascular Research, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. y-tsuji@hh.iij4u.or.jp
Yukiomi
Y
Tsuji
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D012008:Recurrence; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy
D011506:Proteins; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2; D002118:Calcium