ATRIAL AND VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION AS THE EFFECT OF A NOISE REDUCING SYSTEM OPERATING OUTSIDE OF ITS THRESHOLD.
Abstract
It is pointed out that noise reducing systems ordinarily operate to reduce noise only so long as the noise magnitude does not exceed a certain threshold. When this threshold is exceeded, the noise tends to eliminate the desired signal. The theory of atrial and ventricular fibrillation is then reviewed. This is done with the aid of simplified highly diagrammatic figures. The perturbations in the wavefront of depolarization due to such causes as hypoxia are identified with noise. It is pointed out that the cross connections in the Purkinje system and in the syncytial tissue both act to decrease the magnitude of the noise. It is also pointed out that when the noise is sufficiently large, it acts through the same cross connections to eliminate the desired signal, namely the normal heart beat. This amounts to a description of fibrillation in the language of noise reduction threshold theory. Thus fibrillation may be considered the result of a noise reduction system which is thrown into a pathological type of operation because the noise level has exceeded threshold. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 12, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0699190
Entities
People
- Stanford Goldman
Organizations
- Syracuse University