2007 Volume 71 Issue SupplementA Pages A26-A31
It is well established that spiral wave reentry is the primary mechanism of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia, VF/VT), but information is still limited concerning pharmacological modification of spiral waves by ion channel blockers. In this brief review, the antiarrhythmic and proarrhythmic actions of K+-channel blockade (IKr and I K1) are discussed in terms of spiral wave dynamics, primarily based on recent experimental findings in ventricular preparations perfused in vitro with the aid of high-resolution optical mapping, as well as their related theoretical studies using computer simulation. (Circ J 2007; Suppl A: A-26 - A-31)
