Transmural heterogeneity and remodeling of ventricular excitation-contraction coupling in human heart failure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Excitation-contraction (EC) coupling is altered in end-stage heart failure. However, spatial heterogeneity of this remodeling has not been established at the tissue level in failing human heart. The objective of this article was to study functional remodeling of excitation-contraction coupling and calcium handling in failing and nonfailing human hearts.

Methods and results

We simultaneously optically mapped action potentials and calcium transients in coronary perfused left ventricular wedge preparations from nonfailing (n=6) and failing (n=5) human hearts. Our major findings are the following. First, calcium transient duration minus action potential duration was longer at subendocardium in failing compared with nonfailing hearts during bradycardia (40 bpm). Second

SUBMITTER: Lou Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3100201 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature