THERE IS A THEORY OF HEART

We review a recent workshop entitled "Theory of Heart," held July 10-18, 1989 at the Institute for Nonlinear Sciences in the University of California at San Diego. Recent advances have been made in the application of mathematical techniques used in the physical sciences to the analysis of mechanics and dynamics in the heart. The theoretical models are in many cases sufficiently well developed that theoretical predictions can be made that can be confronted with experimental and clinical data. Topics covered include mechanics of the passive and active heart, ionic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias, reentrant reexcitation and its connection with cardiac tachycardia and fibrillation, and clinical implications of the basic research. © 1990.