Electrocardiogram simulation with an ionic current computer model of the cardiac tissue

Modern computer power allows us to develop models of the heart that may be helpful for the understanding of arrhythmia mechanisms. If based on realistic physiological parameters, such models can display phenomena difficult to study in nature. Therefore, a two-dimensional model of the cardiac tissue has been implemented, where the modeling of each cell is based on membrane ionic channels. Furthermore, an ECG has been computed based on the ionic currents simulated. This model allows us to observe the propagation of the action potentials V/sub m/ across the cardiac tissue, the evolution of V/sub m/ for any of the cardiac cells and the underlying ionic currents. The computation of the ECG makes it possible to relate these quantities with an often used diagnostic tool. Quantitatively accurate simulations of normal and pathological aspects such as functional reentries have been performed. Our simulation results show that the implemented computer model based on ionic currents seems accurate and realistic when compared to biological models. Therefore, it constitutes a new approach to study the origin, the prevention and the termination of arrhythmias.