Influence of the shape of cardiac ventricles on the resultant heart vectors. A model study

The effect of different curvature of ventricular walls on the resultant heart vectors was studied by using an interactive computer model of propagated excitation. In this model, the geometry of ventricles is defined by parts of compound ellipsoids. During the series of model experiments the value of input parameter-relative ventricular curvature (RVC), determining the curvature of ventricular walls in apex-base direction, was varied from 0.45 to 1.0. Decrease of the RVC from 1.0 to 0.35 led to a slight decrease of initial vectors, an increase of laterally oriented vectors accompanied with their downwards deviation, as well as to a rapid decrease of the magnitude of terminal vectors along with their rotation to the left. The degree of these changes was indirectly proportional to the respective values of RVC.< >