A hybrid stimulation strategy for suppression of spiral waves in cardiac tissue

7 Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia whose me8 chanisms are thought to be mainly due to the self perpetuation of spiral waves 9 (SW). To date, available treatment strategies (antiarrhythmic drugs, radiofre10 quency ablation of the substrate, electrical cardioversion) to restore and to 11 maintain a normal sinus rhythm have limitations and are associated with AF 12 recurrences. The aim of this study was to assess a way of suppressing SW by 13 applying multifocal electrical stimulations in a simulated cardiac tissue using 14 a 2D FitzHugh-Nagumo model specially convenient for AF investigations. We 15 identified stimulation parameters for successful termination of SW. However, 16 SW reinduction, following the electrical stimuli, leads us to develop a hybrid 17 strategy based on sodium channel modification for the simulated tissue. 18 Version : 175 19 15 avril 2011, 11:18:50 20 Email addresses: [email protected] (Sabir Jacquir), [email protected] ( StÃľphane Binczak) Preprint submitted to Elsevier 15 avril 2011