Key result
Electrical stimulation in a steadily propagating wave wake produces damped waves that either gradually die out or exhibit a sharp amplitude increase to become steadily propagating waves.
Understanding the cardiac DW-SPW transition provides key insights into defibrillation and stimulation close to the refractory period.
May inform refractory-period stimulation strategies; leaves open translation of wave dynamics to human defibrillation.
Compared to steadily propagating waves (SPW), damped waves (DW), another solution to the nonlinear wave equation, are seldom studied. In cardiac tissue after electrical stimulation in an SPW wake, we observe DW with diminished amplitude and velocity that either gradually decrease as the DW dies, or exhibit a sharp amplitude increase after a delay to become an SPW. The cardiac DW-SPW transition is a key link in understanding defibrillation and stimulation close to the refractory period, and is ideal for a general study of DW dynamics.
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Sidorov et al. (2003) studied Cardiac electrophysiology. Electrical stimulation was evaluated on Damped wave dynamics and DW-SPW transition. Electrical stimulation in a steadily propagating wave wake produces damped waves that either gradually die out or exhibit a sharp amplitude increase to become steadily propagating waves.
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