Electromechanical models of the ventricles

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2011 Aug;301(2):H279-86. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00324.2011. Epub 2011 May 13.

Abstract

Computational modeling has traditionally played an important role in dissecting the mechanisms for cardiac dysfunction. Ventricular electromechanical models, likely the most sophisticated virtual organs to date, integrate detailed information across the spatial scales of cardiac electrophysiology and mechanics and are capable of capturing the emergent behavior and the interaction between electrical activation and mechanical contraction of the heart. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the latest advancements in multiscale electromechanical modeling of the ventricles. We first detail the general framework of multiscale ventricular electromechanical modeling and describe the state of the art in computational techniques and experimental validation approaches. The powerful utility of ventricular electromechanical models in providing a better understanding of cardiac function is then demonstrated by reviewing the latest insights obtained by these models, focusing primarily on the mechanisms by which mechanoelectric coupling contributes to ventricular arrythmogenesis, the relationship between electrical activation and mechanical contraction in the normal heart, and the mechanisms of mechanical dyssynchrony and resynchronization in the failing heart. Computational modeling of cardiac electromechanics will continue to complement basic science research and clinical cardiology and holds promise to become an important clinical tool aiding the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
  • Computer Simulation*
  • Excitation Contraction Coupling
  • Heart Diseases / pathology
  • Heart Diseases / physiopathology*
  • Heart Failure / physiopathology
  • Heart Ventricles / pathology
  • Heart Ventricles / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Models, Cardiovascular*
  • Myocardial Contraction
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Ventricular Dysfunction / physiopathology
  • Ventricular Function*