NON-UNIFORMITY OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICAL TRANSMEMBRANE POTENTIALS IN CARDIAC DEFIBRILLATION

Abstract

The need for emergency cessation of ventricular fibrillation is one of the problems of modern reanimatology. In spite of searches for novel methods, there is the only effective method — electrical cardiac defibrillation. Objective: to investigate the effect of different forms of pulses on cell membranes in a model experiment and to assess their use for effective cardiac defibrillation. Materials and methods. The Maxwell model was used for theoretical analysis of the spatial distribution of an electric field in the red blood cell membrane. The electric effect on a single cell was calculated using the experimental findings and the equivalent electrical circuit of the myocardial structure during a defibrillation procedure. The cardiomyocyte membrane potential upon exposure to defibrillator discharge was estimated. Exposure of the red blood cell membrane to single, two unipolar and two heteropolar pulses was examined. Results. There is non-additivity of speeds upon double exposure as compared to single one. Single pulse causes a lower effect of electroporation than two double pulses. Hyperpolarization and depolarization processes in the cardiomyocyte membranes occur successively during electrical cardiac defibrillation. Conclusion. Two heteropolar pulses cause an effect of biological membrane electroporation with a greater probability than two unipolar ones.