Effect of local ischemia on induction of cardiac reentries

In this paper, we study the effects of local ischemia on the process of triggering of reentry mechanism. We present computer simulations based on a cellular automata model of the propagation of the depolarizing wave through a ventricular surface element. We simulate a local area of ischemia where effects of refractory period dispersion are investigated. We use a gaussian distribution of the refractory periods characterized by a mean value and a standard deviation. These simulations show that there exist critical conditions necessary to initiate a reentry mechanism invading progressively the whole ventricle.