Modeling of heart excitation patterns caused by a local inhomogeneity

We simulate wave propagation in the whole heart containing a local inhomogeneity whose properties mimic some properties of cardiac tissue during the acute phase of infarction. The dynamics of cardiac tissue is described by a FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) model. We show that two or several short-period stimulations of the heart lead to the development of a three-dimensional vortex ring, which is a temporal source of high frequency waves. The vortex ring is located near the boundary of the infarction and induces wave patterns which appear as several focal wave sources on the epicard and endocard. We have traced the filament of the vortex and show its dynamics. Continuous stimulation of the heart at high frequency resulted in the Wenckebach effect. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited