The Ischemic Heart: What Causes Ectopic Beating?

The mechanisms by which spontaneous electrical activity originates in the ischemic heart and leads to arrhythmia remain unknown, however mechanical stretch of the diseased region has been hypothesized to play a role. The goal of this study is to investigate the conditions that favor the initiation of stretch-induced premature beats in the ischemic heart. We employ a mathematical model of the ischemic cell subjected to stretch. The study found that upon stretch, spontaneous beats occur in the ischemic cell, which are due to the stretch-induced re-activation of the L-type calcium current.