Homogenization and Defibrillation of Cardiac Tissue

                             by 

                   James P. Keener (U of U, Math)


             JTB 120, 3:20pm  Monday, February 9, 1998


                          Abstract

Defibrillation is used routinely in hosptials to save hundreds of
lives daily.   However, until recently there has been no theory
describing how or why defibrillation works.  In fact, previous theory
predicted that it cannot work, even though it obviously does.
 
Within the last three years a theory describing the mechanism of
defibrillation has been proposed (by several investigators), but now
the dilemma is reversed, as 
the theory appears to work quite well, yet a controversy remains
because certain essential features of the theory have not been
verified experimentally.
 
In this talk I will describe the mechanism for cardiac defibrillation and 
develop a mathematical model that shows when it works and why it 
fails.  Homogenization techniques will be used to derive the model and
numerical simulations used to show how the model works.  Time
permitting, I will also discuss the nature of the experimental
difficulties and suggest alternate ways to indirectly  test the
theory.
 
(Remark and fair warning:  This talk is similar to the talk I gave in
the Math Biology seminar last year, but is suitable for a
non-specialist applied math audience.)


Requests for preprints and reprints to: keener@math.utah.edu
This source can be found at http://www.math.utah.edu/applied-math/