Integrative computational and experimental study of arrhythmogenesis and defibrillation in acute myocardial ischaemia

Electrical defibrillation by timely application of a strong shock to the myocardium is the only effective therapy to prevent sudden cardiac death subsequent to ventricular fibrillation. However, although the majority of patients undergoing defibrillation suffer from coronary heart disease, little is known about the ischaemic tissue response to the delivery of defibrillation shocks. The main focus of the proposed research is to unravel the mechanisms underlying changes in defibrillation efficacy during the first 45 min of acute myocardial ischaemia. We expect to ultimately advance the development of new or improved anti-arrhythmia interventions with increased success rates of cardiac defibrillation, which could reduce mortality /morbidity from sudden cardiac death.