Terminating spiral waves with a single designed stimulus: Teleportation as the mechanism for defibrillation.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022;
119:e2117568119. [PMID:
35679346 PMCID:
PMC9214532 DOI:
10.1073/pnas.2117568119]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Many chemical and biological systems can sustain complex spiral wave dynamics. In the heart, spiral waves of electrical activity induce deadly arrhythmias and must be eliminated with a large, system-wide perturbation to restore a healthy rhythm. However, the high-energy shocks required for defibrillation therapies are very painful and can even damage heart tissue. In this study, we demonstrate a method for eliminating spiral waves with what should be the minimal possible stimulus required in space for termination. To do this, we show how a localized perturbation can be designed to annihilate simultaneously all spiral waves both free and bound. This identified mechanism is applicable to any excitable system and, for the heart, may lead to more efficient defibrillation strategies.
We identify and demonstrate a universal mechanism for terminating spiral waves in excitable media using an established topological framework. This mechanism dictates whether high- or low-energy defibrillation shocks succeed or fail. Furthermore, this mechanism allows for the design of a single minimal stimulus capable of defibrillating, at any time, turbulent states driven by multiple spiral waves. We demonstrate this method in a variety of computational models of cardiac tissue ranging from simple to detailed human models. The theory described here shows how this mechanism underlies all successful defibrillation and can be used to further develop existing and future low-energy defibrillation strategies.
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