Integration of maps of activation times in computational cardiac electrophysiology

19/2020

Integration of maps of activation times in computational cardiac electrophysiology

Thursday 12th March 2020

Stella, S.; Vergara, C.; Maines, M.; Catanzariti, D.; Africa, P.; Demattè, C.; Centonze, M.; Nobile, F.; Del Greco, M.; Quarteroni, A.

In this work we used the monodomain equation in combination with the Bueno-Orovio ionic model for the prediction of the activation times in cardiac electro-physiology. We considered four patients who suffered from Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB) and patient-specific maps of activation times obtained by inserting in the ventricles electrodes located on catheters. We used activation maps acquired at the septum as input data for the model and maps at the epicardial veins for the validation of the monodomain model in the context of a normal excitation. In particular, a first set (half) of the latter were used to estimate the conductivities of the patient and a second set (the remaining half) to compute the errors of the numerical simulations. We found an excellent agreement between measures and numerical results. Our validated computational tool could be used to accurately predict activation times at the epicardial veins, allowing to shorten the mapping procedure and reduce the exposition to radiations. This could be of great interest for clinical applications, for example in the Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) where such mapping is commonly used to determine the best point of stimulus.