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Mechanisms of Cardiac Arrhythmia

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Electrical Diseases of the Heart

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Abstract

A cardiac arrhythmia simply defined is a variation from the normal heart rate and/or rhythm that is not physiologically justified. Cardiac arrhythmias are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Treatment is often based on the underlying cause. Recent years have witnessed important advances in our understanding of the electrophysiologic mechanisms underlying the development of a wide variety of cardiac arrhythmias. Progress relative to our mechanistic understanding of these phenomena has been fueled by advances in our understanding of the genetic basis and genetic predisposition to electrical dysfunction of the heart. The mechanisms responsible for cardiac arrhythmias are generally divided into two broad categories: (1) enhanced or abnormal impulse formation (i.e., focal activity) and (2) conduction disturbances (i.e., reentry). Often these mechanisms act in concert to generate arrhythmias. An understanding of these arrhythmogenic mechanisms is important to providing patient- and mechanism-specific therapy. This chapter provides the fundamentals of our current understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of cardiac arrhythmias.

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Acknowledgement.

Supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (HL 47678), NYSTEM (C026424) the American Heart Association, New York State Affiliate, and the Masons of New York State and Florida.

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  1. Gordon K. Moe Scholar, Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, 2150 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY, 13501, USA

    Charles Antzelevitch PhD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS

  2. Experimental Cardiology, Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, 2150 Bleecker Street, Utica, NY, 13501, USA

    Alexander Burashnikov PhD

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  1. Charles Antzelevitch PhD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS
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  2. Alexander Burashnikov PhD
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Correspondence to Charles Antzelevitch PhD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS .

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  1. , Department of Internal Medicine, UMDNJ-RWJ Medical School, Robert Wood Johnson Pl. 1, New Brunswick, 08903-0019, New Jersey, USA

    Ihor Gussak

  2. , Gordon K. Moe Scholar, Masonic Medical Research Laboratory, Bleecker Street, Utica, 13501-1787, New York, USA

    Charles Antzelevitch

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Antzelevitch, C., Burashnikov, A. (2013). Mechanisms of Cardiac Arrhythmia. In: Gussak, I., Antzelevitch, C. (eds) Electrical Diseases of the Heart. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4881-4_6

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