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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Rotors and the Dynamics of Cardiac Fibrillation

Sandeep V. Pandit, +1 more
- 01 Mar 2013 - 
- Vol. 112, Iss: 5, pp 849-862
TLDR
Examination of recent evidence suggesting that rotors are critical in sustaining both atrial and ventricular fibrillation in the human heart and its implications for treatment with radiofrequency ablation is examined.
Abstract
The objective of this article is to present a broad review of the role of cardiac electric rotors and their accompanying spiral waves in the mechanism of cardiac fibrillation. At the outset, we present a brief historical overview regarding reentry and then discuss the basic concepts and terminologies pertaining to rotors and their initiation. Thereafter, the intrinsic properties of rotors and spiral waves, including phase singularities, wavefront curvature, and dominant frequency maps, are discussed. The implications of rotor dynamics for the spatiotemporal organization of fibrillation, independent of the species being studied, are described next. The knowledge gained regarding the role of cardiac structure in the initiation or maintenance of rotors and the ionic bases of spiral waves in the past 2 decades, as well as the significance for drug therapy, is reviewed subsequently. We conclude by examining recent evidence suggesting that rotors are critical in sustaining both atrial and ventricular fibrillation in the human heart and its implications for treatment with radiofrequency ablation.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI

2017 HRS / EHRA / ECAS / APHRS / SOLAECE expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation

Hugh Calkins, +60 more
- 01 Oct 2017 - 
TL;DR: This 2017 Consensus Statement is to provide a state-of-the-art review of the field of catheter and surgical ablation of AF and to report the findings of a writing group, convened by these five international societies.
Journal ArticleDOI

EHRA/HRS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus on atrial cardiomyopathies: Definition, characterization, and clinical implication

TL;DR: The working group proposes the following working definition of atrial cardiomyopathy: ‘Any complex of structural, architectural, contractile or electrophysiological changes affecting the atria with the potential to produce clinically-relevant manifestations’ (Table 1).
Journal ArticleDOI

Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in Atrial Fibrillation: Pathophysiology and Therapy

TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation and the potential benefit and limitations of neuromodulation in the management of this arrhythmia.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI

The Dynamics of Cardiac Fibrillation

TL;DR: Dynamic factors refer to cellular properties of the cardiac action potential and Ca(i) cycling, which dynamically generate wave instability and wavebreak, even in tissue that is initially completely homogeneous, and represent an attractive target for novel therapies to prevent ventricular fibrillation.
Journal ArticleDOI

Presence of Left-to-Right Atrial Frequency Gradient in Paroxysmal but Not Persistent Atrial Fibrillation in Humans

TL;DR: In humans with paroxysmal AF, DFs are highest at the PV/LA junction, intermediate in the CS, and slowest in the posterior RA, which agrees with animal models that suggest that the posterior LA may play an important role in maintaining paroxYSmal AF.
Journal Article

Spectral Analysis Identifies Sites of High-Frequency Activity Maintaining Atrial Fibrillation in Humans

TL;DR: The effect of ablation at sites with or without high-frequency DF sites (maximal frequencies surrounded by a decreasing frequency gradient ≥20%) was evaluated by determining the change in AF cycle length (AFCL) and the termination and inducibility of AF.
Journal ArticleDOI

A Mathematical Model of Action Potential Heterogeneity in Adult Rat Left Ventricular Myocytes

TL;DR: Simulation results support the hypothesis that the smaller density and the slower reactivation kinetics of the Ca(2+)-independent transient outward K(+) current (I(t)) in the endocardial myocytes can account for the longer action potential duration (APD), and more prominent rate dependence in that cell type.
Journal ArticleDOI

Rectification of the background potassium current: A determinant of rotor dynamics in ventricular fibrillation

TL;DR: This study provides new evidence in the isolated guinea pig heart that a persistent high-frequency rotor in the LV maintains VF, and that spatially distributed gradients in IK1 density represent a robust ionic mechanism for rotor stabilization and wavefront fragmentation.
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