Regional cooling facilitates termination of spiral-wave reentry through unpinning of rotors in rabbit hearts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Moderate global cooling of myocardial tissue was shown to destabilize 2-dimensional (2-D) reentry and facilitate its termination.

Objective

This study sought to test the hypothesis that regional cooling destabilizes rotors and facilitates termination of spontaneous and DC shock-induced subepicardial reentry in isolated, endocardially ablated rabbit hearts.

Methods

Fluorescent action potential signals were recorded from 2-D subepicardial ventricular myocardium of Langendorff-perfused rabbit hearts. Regional cooling (by 5.9°C ± 1.3°C) was applied to the left ventricular anterior wall using a transparent cooling device (10 mm in diameter).

Results

Regional cooling during constant stimulation (2.5 Hz) prolonged the action potential duration (by 36% ± 9%)

SUBMITTER: Yamazaki M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3328397 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature