University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Duke University

Vivek Varadarajan

Joseph M Starobin

Wanda Krassowska Neu

Salim F Idriss

A method of determining the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in a subject, the method including determining a reserve of refractoriness (RoR) and a reserve of memory (RoM) and combining the reserve of refractoriness (RoR) and the reserve of memory (RoM) to produce a metric of stability-of-propagation reserve (SoPR) in the subject, a higher value of SoPR indicating lower susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias in the subject. Systems and apparatus for carrying out the method are also described.

Method and system for evaluating stability of cardiac propagation reserve

The present invention provides a method of stimulating an excitable tissue (e.g., in vitro, in vivo) with a primary electrical stimulus through a primary electrode at a primary stimulation frequency, to produce a propagating action potential in the excitable tissue. The invention is carried out by concurrently stimulating the excitable tissue with a secondary electrical stimulus through at least one secondary electrode at a secondary stimulation frequency. The primary and secondary stimulation frequencies are preferably different from one another. The secondary electrical stimulus preferably has an amplitude not more than one third that of the primary electrical stimulus. Preferably, propagation of the action potential in the excitable tissue is enhanced (e.g., when propagation of action potentials in the tissue is otherwise unstable, partially blocked, or fully blocked). Apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

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Greensboro, NC, United States of America

Vivek Varadarajan