Computational models of the micro-structure of cardiac tissue

Arrhythmias in cardiac tissue are related to irregular electrical wave propagation in the heart. Some types of arrhythmias have been frequently related with fibrosis and ischemia of the tissue. Cardiac tissue is typically model with the continuous cable equations. However, tissues are formed by a discrete network of cells, which, normally, are far to be homogeneous. The inclusion of non-conducting media among the cells, mimicking cardiac fibrosis, in models of cardiac tissue may lead to the formation of reentries and other dangerous arrhythmias. A localized region with a fraction of non-conducting media surrounded by homogeneous conducting tissue can become a source of reentry and ectopic beats. The fraction of non-conducting media in comparison with the fraction of healthy myocytes and the topological distribution of the cells determines the probability of ectopic beat generation.

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