TY - JOUR
T1 - Susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in aged hearts.
AU - Rossi, S
AU - Baruffi, S
AU - Bertuzzi, Andrea
AU - Mastorci, F
AU - Sgoifo, A
AU - Musso,
AU - Corradi, E.
AU - D.,
AU - Maestri, R
AU - Brisinda, Donatella
AU - Fenici, Riccardo
AU - Macchi, E.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Cardiac arrhythmias are frequent in the elderly population, perhaps secondary to an increased prevalence of hypertension and coronary artery disease as well as aging related changes resulting in loss of pacemaker cells and degenerative alteration of the conduction system. Independent from underlying structural heart disease, advanced age alone appears to be a risk factor for increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia. However, the electrophysiological basis of this phenomenon is still unclear. Thus, it is important to assess and to define the underlying arrhythmogenic substrate. The aim of the present study was to identify a likely structural-functional ventricular arrhythmogenic substrate in aged hearts. For this purpose ventricular activation patterns were measured in control (n=4) and aged (n=10) in vivo rat hearts by recording unipolar electrograms with an epicardial, 1 mm resolution, 8x8 electrode array, during pacing and spontaneous or induced ventricular ectopic beats. Our results in aged hearts suggest that peripheral conduction system might be involved in perpetuating sequences of ventricular ectopic beats, regardless of their origin.
AB - Cardiac arrhythmias are frequent in the elderly population, perhaps secondary to an increased prevalence of hypertension and coronary artery disease as well as aging related changes resulting in loss of pacemaker cells and degenerative alteration of the conduction system. Independent from underlying structural heart disease, advanced age alone appears to be a risk factor for increased susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmia. However, the electrophysiological basis of this phenomenon is still unclear. Thus, it is important to assess and to define the underlying arrhythmogenic substrate. The aim of the present study was to identify a likely structural-functional ventricular arrhythmogenic substrate in aged hearts. For this purpose ventricular activation patterns were measured in control (n=4) and aged (n=10) in vivo rat hearts by recording unipolar electrograms with an epicardial, 1 mm resolution, 8x8 electrode array, during pacing and spontaneous or induced ventricular ectopic beats. Our results in aged hearts suggest that peripheral conduction system might be involved in perpetuating sequences of ventricular ectopic beats, regardless of their origin.
KW - Ageing
KW - ventricular arrhythmias
KW - Ageing
KW - ventricular arrhythmias
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/17670
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-40949128411&partnerid=40&md5=449ca90f111d933474ec8e3c7f451230
M3 - Article
SN - 0739-5175
VL - 2007
SP - 410
EP - 414
JO - IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine
JF - IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine
ER -