A novel simulation procedure allows new insights on ectopic beats in the heart

Researcher Sergio Alonso publishes, in collaboration with Brazilian Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora and the Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin, a novel simulation method to understand how the hearts can beat anomalously with a signal originating from the same heart (ectopic beat) instead of our natural external pacemaker.

Ectopic beats are known to be involved in the initiation of a variety of cardiac arrhythmias. They have been found to originate from infarct areas, regions of micro-fibrosis and other heterogeneous tissues. The collaboration among the UFJF and the Herzzentrum Berlin and the Department of Physics in patient-specific geometrical model of the heart, obtained through magnetic resonance imaging has been highlighted in several news section of the Department of Physics of the UPC and the news section of the UFJF.