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Bayer JD, Sobota V, Bear LR, Haïssaguerre M, Vigmond EJ. A His bundle pacing protocol for suppressing ventricular arrhythmia maintenance and improving defibrillation efficacy. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2024; 253:108239. [PMID: 38823116 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2024.108239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 05/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The excitable gap (EG), defined as the excitable tissue between two subsequent wavefronts of depolarization, is critical for maintaining reentry that underlies deadly ventricular arrhythmias. EG in the His-Purkinje Network (HPN) plays an important role in the maintenance of electrical wave reentry that underlies these arrhythmias. OBJECTIVE To determine if rapid His bundle pacing (HBP) during reentry reduces the amount of EG in the HPN and ventricular myocardium to suppress reentry maintenance and/or improve defibrillation efficacy. METHODS In a virtual human biventricular model, reentry was initiated with rapid line pacing followed by HBP delivered for 3, 6, or 9 s at pacing cycle lengths (PCLs) ranging from 10 to 300 ms (n=30). EG was calculated independently for the HPN and myocardium over each PCL. Defibrillation efficacy was assessed for each PCL by stimulating myocardial surface EG with delays ranging from 0.25 to 9 s (increments of 0.25 s, n=36) after the start of HBP. Defibrillation was successful if reentry terminated within 1 s after EG stimulation. This defibrillation protocol was repeated without HBP. To test the approach under different pathological conditions, all protocols were repeated in the model with right (RBBB) or left (LBBB) bundle branch block. RESULTS Compared to without pacing, HBP for >3 seconds reduced average EG in the HPN and myocardium across a broad range of PCLs for the default, RBBB, and LBBB models. HBP >6 seconds terminated reentrant arrhythmia by converting HPN activation to a sinus rhythm behavior in the default (6/30 PCLs) and RBBB (7/30 PCLs) models. Myocardial EG stimulation during HBP increased the number of successful defibrillation attempts by 3%-19% for 30/30 PCLs in the default model, 3%-6% for 14/30 PCLs in the RBBB model, and 3%-11% for 27/30 PCLs in the LBBB model. CONCLUSION HBP can reduce the amount of excitable gap and suppress reentry maintenance in the HPN and myocardium. HBP can also improve the efficacy of low-energy defibrillation approaches targeting excitable myocardium. HBP during reentrant arrhythmias is a promising anti-arrhythmic and defibrillation strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Bayer
- IHU Liryc, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, fondation Bordeaux Université, 33600, Pessac-Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, Institut de Mathématiques de Bordeaux, UMR 5251, 33400, Talence, France.
| | - Vladimír Sobota
- IHU Liryc, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, fondation Bordeaux Université, 33600, Pessac-Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, Institut de Mathématiques de Bordeaux, UMR 5251, 33400, Talence, France
| | - Laura R Bear
- IHU Liryc, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, fondation Bordeaux Université, 33600, Pessac-Bordeaux, France
| | - Michel Haïssaguerre
- IHU Liryc, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, fondation Bordeaux Université, 33600, Pessac-Bordeaux, France; Haut-Lévêque Cardiology Hospital, University Hospital Center (CHU) of Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Edward J Vigmond
- IHU Liryc, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, fondation Bordeaux Université, 33600, Pessac-Bordeaux, France; University of Bordeaux, Institut de Mathématiques de Bordeaux, UMR 5251, 33400, Talence, France
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Trayanova NA, Lyon A, Shade J, Heijman J. Computational modeling of cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmogenesis: toward clinical translation. Physiol Rev 2024; 104:1265-1333. [PMID: 38153307 PMCID: PMC11381036 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00017.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The complexity of cardiac electrophysiology, involving dynamic changes in numerous components across multiple spatial (from ion channel to organ) and temporal (from milliseconds to days) scales, makes an intuitive or empirical analysis of cardiac arrhythmogenesis challenging. Multiscale mechanistic computational models of cardiac electrophysiology provide precise control over individual parameters, and their reproducibility enables a thorough assessment of arrhythmia mechanisms. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of models of cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias, from the single cell to the organ level, and how they can be leveraged to better understand rhythm disorders in cardiac disease and to improve heart patient care. Key issues related to model development based on experimental data are discussed, and major families of human cardiomyocyte models and their applications are highlighted. An overview of organ-level computational modeling of cardiac electrophysiology and its clinical applications in personalized arrhythmia risk assessment and patient-specific therapy of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias is provided. The advancements presented here highlight how patient-specific computational models of the heart reconstructed from patient data have achieved success in predicting risk of sudden cardiac death and guiding optimal treatments of heart rhythm disorders. Finally, an outlook toward potential future advances, including the combination of mechanistic modeling and machine learning/artificial intelligence, is provided. As the field of cardiology is embarking on a journey toward precision medicine, personalized modeling of the heart is expected to become a key technology to guide pharmaceutical therapy, deployment of devices, and surgical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A Trayanova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Alliance for Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Innovation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Aurore Lyon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Division of Heart and Lungs, Department of Medical Physiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Julie Shade
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Alliance for Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Innovation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
| | - Jordi Heijman
- Department of Cardiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Okada JI, Washio T, Sugiura S, Hisada T. Low-energy defibrillation using a base-apex epicardial electrode. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2023; 46:1325-1332. [PMID: 37830313 DOI: 10.1111/pace.14832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) require electric conduction with high voltage and high energy, which can impair cardiac function and induce another malignant arrhythmia. As a result, there has been a demand for an ICD that can effectively operate with lower energy to mitigate the risks of a strong electric shock. METHODS A pair of sheet-shaped electrodes covering the heart were analyzed in three configurations (top-bottom, left-right, and front-back) using a heart simulator. We also varied the distance between the two electrodes (clearance) to identify the electrode shape with the lowest defibrillation threshold (DFT). We also investigated the ICD shock waveform, shock direction, and the effect of the backside insulator of the electrode. RESULTS The DFT was high when the clearance was too small and the DFT was high even when the clearance was too large, suggesting that an optimal value clearance. The top-bottom electrodes with optimal clearance showed the lowest DFT when the biphasic shocks set the top electrode to a high potential first and then the bottom electrode was set to a high potential. An interval between a first shock waveform and a second shock waveform should be provided for low-energy defibrillation. Because the insulator prevents unnecessary current flow to the backside, the DFT of the electrodes with insulators is less than those without insulators. CONCLUSION Painless defibrillation using sheet-shaped electrodes on the epicardium is predicated on the basis of results using a heart simulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Ichi Okada
- UT-Heart Inc., Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, Japan
| | - Takumi Washio
- UT-Heart Inc., Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, Japan
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Biasi N, Seghetti P, Mercati M, Tognetti A. A smoothed boundary bidomain model for cardiac simulations in anatomically detailed geometries. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286577. [PMID: 37294777 PMCID: PMC10256234 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This manuscript presents a novel finite difference method to solve cardiac bidomain equations in anatomical models of the heart. The proposed method employs a smoothed boundary approach that represents the boundaries between the heart and the surrounding medium as a spatially diffuse interface of finite thickness. The bidomain boundary conditions are implicitly implemented in the smoothed boundary bidomain equations presented in the manuscript without the need of a structured mesh that explicitly tracks the heart-torso boundaries. We reported some significant examples assessing the method's accuracy using nontrivial test geometries and demonstrating the applicability of the method to complex anatomically detailed human cardiac geometries. In particular, we showed that our approach could be employed to simulate cardiac defibrillation in a human left ventricle comprising fiber architecture. The main advantage of the proposed method is the possibility of implementing bidomain boundary conditions directly on voxel structures, which makes it attractive for three dimensional, patient specific simulations based on medical images. Moreover, given the ease of implementation, we believe that the proposed method could provide an interesting and feasible alternative to finite element methods, and could find application in future cardiac research guiding electrotherapy with computational models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niccolò Biasi
- Information Engineering Department, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Seghetti
- Health Science Interdisciplinary Center, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy
- National Research Council, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Mercati
- Information Engineering Department, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Tognetti
- Information Engineering Department, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Centre “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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The Purkinje network plays a major role in low-energy ventricular defibrillation. Comput Biol Med 2021; 141:105133. [PMID: 34954609 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.105133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During ventricular fibrillation (VF), targeting the excitable gap (EG) of reentry throughout the myocardium with low-energy surface stimulation shows promise for painless defibrillation. However, the Purkinje network may provide alternative pathways for reentry to evade termination. This study investigates the role of the Purkinje network in painless defibrillation. METHODS In a computational human biventricular model featuring a Purkinje network, VF was initiated with 4 Hz epicardial pacing. Defibrillation was attempted by stimulating myocardial surface EG with a low-energy 2 ms duration pulse at 2x stimulus capture, which was administered at coupling intervals incremented by 0.25 s between 0.25 and 5 s after VF initiation. Defibrillation was accomplished if reentry ceased ≤ 1 s after the defibrillation pulse. The protocol was repeated with the Purkinje network and myocardial surface EG stimulated simultaneously, and again after uncoupling the Purkinje network from the myocardium. RESULTS VF with the Purkinje network coupled and uncoupled had comparable dominant frequency in the left (3.81 ± 0.44 versus 3.77 ± 0.53 Hz) and right (3.80 ± 0.37 versus 3.76 ± 0.48 Hz) ventricles. When uncoupling the Purkinje network, myocardial surface EG stimulation terminated VF for all defibrillation pulses. When coupled, myocardial EG surface stimulation terminated VF for only 55% of the defibrillation pulses, but improved to 100% when stimulated simultaneously with Purkinje network EG. Defibrillation failures were attributed to EG evading stimulation in the Purkinje network. CONCLUSIONS Defibrillation that exclusively targets myocardium can fail due to accessory pathways in the Purkinje network that allow for reentrant activity to evade termination and maintain VF. Painless defibrillation strategies should be adapted to include the Purkinje network.
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Patel MH, Sampath S, Kapoor A, Damani DN, Chellapuram N, Challa AB, Kaur MP, Walton RD, Stavrakis S, Arunachalam SP, Kulkarni K. Advances in Cardiac Pacing: Arrhythmia Prediction, Prevention and Control Strategies. Front Physiol 2021; 12:783241. [PMID: 34925071 PMCID: PMC8674736 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.783241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac arrhythmias constitute a tremendous burden on healthcare and are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. An alarming number of people have been reported to manifest sudden cardiac death as the first symptom of cardiac arrhythmias, accounting for about 20% of all deaths annually. Furthermore, patients prone to atrial tachyarrhythmias such as atrial flutter and fibrillation often have associated comorbidities including hypertension, ischemic heart disease, valvular cardiomyopathy and increased risk of stroke. Technological advances in electrical stimulation and sensing modalities have led to the proliferation of medical devices including pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, aiming to restore normal cardiac rhythm. However, given the complex spatiotemporal dynamics and non-linearity of the human heart, predicting the onset of arrhythmias and preventing the transition from steady state to unstable rhythms has been an extremely challenging task. Defibrillatory shocks still remain the primary clinical intervention for lethal ventricular arrhythmias, yet patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators often suffer from inappropriate shocks due to false positives and reduced quality of life. Here, we aim to present a comprehensive review of the current advances in cardiac arrhythmia prediction, prevention and control strategies. We provide an overview of traditional clinical arrhythmia management methods and describe promising potential pacing techniques for predicting the onset of abnormal rhythms and effectively suppressing cardiac arrhythmias. We also offer a clinical perspective on bridging the gap between basic and clinical science that would aid in the assimilation of promising anti-arrhythmic pacing strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrie Harshad Patel
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Shrikanth Sampath
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Anoushka Kapoor
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | | | - Nikitha Chellapuram
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | | | - Manmeet Pal Kaur
- Department of Medicine, GAIL, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Richard D. Walton
- IHU LIRYC, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, Fondation Bordeaux Université, Bordeaux, France
- Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Stavros Stavrakis
- Heart Rhythm Institute, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Shivaram P. Arunachalam
- Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Medicine, GAIL, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Kanchan Kulkarni
- IHU LIRYC, Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute, Fondation Bordeaux Université, Bordeaux, France
- Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
- INSERM, Centre de Recherche Cardio-Thoracique de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
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