Chapter 1 Basic Mechanisms of Cardiac Arrhythmias11This chapter is mainly based on our previous publication [2], which is revised and renewed for the aims of this book. The chapter contains some materials that have not been available previously to English-speaking readers.

1. Introduction

1.1. What should the activity of the heart and the action of the heart mean?

1.2. Has the time come for alteration of the cardiologic paradigm?

1.3. The physiological description of the heart

1.4. Cardiophysics

2. Basic biophysical mechanisms of maintaining the action of the heart

2.1. Historical remarks

2.2. Mathematical aspects

2.3. Pacemakers

2.4. Traveling autowaves

2.5. Spatiotemporal organization of the normal cardiac action

3. Basic biophysical mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias

3.1. Increased automaticity

3.2. Circulating autowaves (reentry)

3.3. A single two-dimensional autowave vortex

3.4. Three-dimensional autowave vortices

3.5. Multiple reverberators and autowave fibrillation

4. Basic mechanisms of adaptation and their abnormalities

5. Conclusion: Arrhythmic action of the heart

Author details

References