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A simple electrical-mechanical model of the heart applied to the study of electrical-mechanical alternansRecent evidence has shown that a subtle alternation in the surface ECG (electrical alternans) may be correlated with the susceptibility to ventricular fibrillation. In the present work, the author presents evidence that a mechanical alternation in the heartbeat (mechanical alternans) generally accompanies electrical alternans. A simple finite-element computer model which emulates both the electrical and the mechanical activity of the heart is presented. A pilot animal study is also reported. The computer model and the animal study both found that (1) there exists a regime of combined electrical-mechanical alternans during the transition from a normal rhythm towards a fibrillatory rhythm, (2) the detected degree of alternation is correlated with the relative instability of the rhythm, and (3) the electrical and mechanical alternans may result from a dispersion in local electrical properties leading to a spatial-temporal alternation in the electrical conduction process.
Document ID
19910062479
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Clancy, Edward A.
(MIT Cambridge, MA, United States)
Smith, Joseph M.
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Cohen, Richard J.
(Harvard University; MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering
Volume: 38
ISSN: 0018-9294
Subject Category
Aerospace Medicine
Accession Number
91A47102
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NIH-1-R01-HL-39291
CONTRACT_GRANT: N00014-80-C-0520
CONTRACT_GRANT: N00014-79-C-0168
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-988
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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