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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//RLASKEY//CALENDEROUS//EN
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METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260824T125202Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20140903T204821Z
DTSTART:20140916T193000Z
DTEND:20140916T203000Z
UID:event1319@bu.edu
URL:http://physics.bu.edu/internal/events/show/1319
SUMMARY:From Chaos to Cures; controlling the complex spatiotemporal dynamic
	s of cardiac arrhythmias using a theoretical\, numerical and experimental i
	ntegrative approach.
DESCRIPTION:Featuring Flavio Fenton\, Georgia Tech\nHosted by: David Campbe
	ll\nPoster: http://physics.bu.edu/internal//files/get/colloquium-fenton.pdf
	\n\nPart of the Physics Department Colloquia Series.\n\nAbstract:\nThe hear
	t is an electro-mechanical system in which\, under normal conditions\, elec
	trical waves propagate in a coordinated manner to initiate an efficient con
	traction. In pathologic states\, single and multiple rapidly rotating spira
	l and scroll waves of electrical activity can appear and generate complex s
	patiotemporal patterns of activation that inhibit contraction and can be le
	thal if untreated. Despite much study\, many questions remain regarding the
	 mechanisms that initiate\, perpetuate\, and terminate reentrant waves in c
	ardiac tissue. \nIn this talk\, we will discuss how we use a combined exper
	imental\, numerical and theoretical approach to better understand the dynam
	ics of cardiac arrhythmias. We will show how large scale GPU simulations an
	d state-of-the-art optical mapping with voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes 
	can be used to image the electrical waves present in cardiac tissue\, leadi
	ng to new insights about their underlying dynamics. We will present experim
	ental data from hearts ranging from zebra fish to rabbits\, cats\, dogs\, p
	igs and horses and discuss how period-doubling bifurcations that arise at f
	ast heart rates can lead to complex spatiotemporal patterns and multistabil
	ity between single and multiple spiral waves in two and three dimensions. T
	hen we will show how control algorithms tested in computer simulations can 
	be used in experiments to continuously guide the system toward an unstable 
	fixed point in order to prevent and terminate complex electrical patterns c
	haracteristic of arrhythmias.  We will proceed to establish a relationship 
	between the response of cardiac tissue to an electric field and the spatial
	 distribution of heterogeneities due to the coronary vascular structure\, a
	nd discuss how in response to a pulsed electric field E\, these heterogenei
	ties serve as nucleation sites for the generation of intramural electrical 
	waves with a source density ρ(E) and a characteristic time constant τ for
	 tissue excitation that obeys a power law.  We will finish by showing how t
	hese results can be applied in vitro and in vivo to develop a novel low ene
	rgy control algorithm that could be use clinically that requires only 10% o
	f the energy currently used by standard methods to defibrillate the heart.
LOCATION:SCI 109\, 590 Commonwealth Avenue\, 02215
STATUS:CONFIRMED
CLASS:PUBLIC
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