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Clinically relevant computer model of cardiac rhythm and pacemaker/heart interaction

  • Computing and Data Processing
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Abstract

A computer simulation model of cardiac rhythm disturbances and of the heart/pacemaker interaction has been created and implemented on a NORD-100 minicomputer. The model incorporates important properties including cycle length dependence of the refractory periods of different parts of the heart and of the atrioventricular nodal conduction speed. Computational experiments produce an explicit timetable of polarisation changes, a simulated one-channel electrocardiographic record and a pacemaker marker channel. The simulation program is written infortran and uses discrete event simulation techniques. The heart is modelled using instances of nine simulation process prototypes. The paper presents and discusses several examples in the form of simulated electrocardiographic records and the results show that the model is clinically relevant. Included in the examples are the modelling of rhythm disturbances, pacemaker actions, pacing for tachycardia prophylaxis and atrioventricular nodal conduction disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Charles University, Malostranske namesti 25, CS-11800, Praha 1, Czechoslovakia

    M. Malik

  2. Department of Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK

    T. Cochrane

  3. Department of Cardiology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, EC1, London, UK

    D. W. Davies

  4. Department of Cardiology, St. George's Hospital Medical School, Cranmer Terrace, SW17, London, UK

    A. J. Camm

Authors
  1. M. Malik
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  2. T. Cochrane
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  3. D. W. Davies
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  4. A. J. Camm
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Malik, M., Cochrane, T., Davies, D.W. et al. Clinically relevant computer model of cardiac rhythm and pacemaker/heart interaction. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 25, 504–512 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02441742

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02441742

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