Easing the Heart Back to Normal Rhythm (6 of 8) (VIDEO)
Caption
High frequency alternating current electric field terminates an arrhythmia in cardiac tissue. The top panel is a map of the electrical activity, and the bottom panel is the electrical activity at the site shown in the map. A rapid arrhythmia was initiated in cardiac tissue. After one second, a high frequency electric field is applied (white background), blocks all electrical waves, and terminates the arrhythmia. After another second, the field is turned off, and no electrical activity is present. This video relates to a paper that appeared in the Sept. 28, 2011, issue of Science Translational Medicine, published by AAAS. The paper, by Dr. Hari Tandri of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and colleagues, was titled, “Reversible Cardiac Conduction Block and Defibrillation with High-Frequency Electric Field.”
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