Dynamics of cardiac re-entry in micro-CT and serial histological sections based models of mammalian hearts

Abstract

Cardiac re-entry regime of self-organised abnormal synchronisation and transition to chaos underlie dangerous arrhythmias and fatal fibrillation. Recent advances in the theory of dissipative vortices, experimental studies, and anatomically realistic computer simulations, elucidated the role and importance of cardiac re-entry anatomy induced drift and interaction with fine anatomical features of the heart. The fact that anatomy of the heart is consistent within a species suggested a possible functional effect of the heart anatomy and structural anisotropy on spontaneous drift of cardiac re-entry. A comparative study insight into the anatomy induced drift could be used e.g. to predict, given a specific atrial anatomy, atrial arrhythmia evolution, in order to ultimately improve low-voltage defibrillation protocols and/or ablation strategies.