Dresden 2009 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 1: Dynamic Processes and Pattern Formation
BP 1.2: Talk
Monday, March 23, 2009, 10:45–11:00, HÜL 186
Simulation of wave propagation on moving heart geometry — •Stefan Fruhner1,2, Steffen Bauer2, Markus Bär2, and Harald Engel1 — 1TU Berlin, Germany — 2PTB Berlin, Germany
Cardiac contraction is controlled by electric waves propagating through the heart. Although realistic heart models often include detailed physiological knowledge about ionic dynamics of cardiac cells and accurately account for anatomical details like fibre orientation or heterogeneity of heart tissue, mechanical deformations of the heart during contraction usually is neglected. However, static heart models fail to describe the feedback between propagating waves of electric activity and cardiac contraction which might be essential for understanding the mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias like tachycardia and fibrillation. Based on magneto-resonance images two-dimensional finite-element meshes have been generated to simulate waves of electric activity propagating in a beating human heart. The approach offers the opportunity to calculate the mechanical stresses during cardiac contraction from experimental data without using detailed models on calcium dynamics and stress-activated channels in cardiac myocytes.