Minimal mass required for induction of a sustained arrhythmia in isolated atrial segments

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington

With the aid of electrical stimulation and a combination of acetylcholine and physostigmine, an experimental arrhythmia was predictably induced in isolated atrial segments from rabbits. The tissue was from either left or right atrium, but was not spontaneously active. It was driven electrically at the rate of 2/sec. After the measurement of excitability and of conduction time, both in the presence and absence of ACh, an arrhythmia was induced. The tissue then was divided surgically and the procedure repeated until a residual segment was obtained which did not respond with an arrhythmia. The weight of the nonarrhythmic segment was determined and averaged 32 mg in 16 left atrial preparations, 28 mg in 10 right atrial segments, and 38 mg in 4 segments of left atrium from rabbits chronically treated with reserpine. Calculation of the mean conduction time and of the mean refractory period associated with induction of the experimental arrhythmia indicated that the observed minimal arrhythmic segment was approximately the mass theoretically required if the initiation and maintenance of the arrhythmia were dependent on re-entry excitation.

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