Mechanisms linking electrical alternans and clinical ventricular arrhythmia in human heart failure

Background Mechanisms of ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) in patients with heart failure (HF) are undefined. Objective The purpose of this study was to elucidate VT/VF mechanisms in HF by using a computational-clinical approach. Methods In 53 patients with HF and 18 control patients, we established the relationship between low-amplitude action potential voltage alternans (APV-ALT) during ventricular pacing at near-resting heart rates and VT/VF on long-term follow-up. Mechanisms underlying the transition of APV-ALT to VT/VF, which cannot be ascertained in patients, were dissected with multiscale human ventricular models based on human electrophysiological and magnetic resonance imaging data (control and HF). Results For patients with APV-ALT k-score >1.7, complex action potential duration (APD) oscillations (≥2.3% of mean APD), rather than APD alternans, most accurately predicted VT/VF during long-term follow-up (+82%; −90% predictive values). In the failing human ventricular models, abnormal sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium handling caused APV-ALT (>1 mV) during pacing with a cycle length of 550 ms, which transitioned into large magnitude (>100 ms) discordant repolarization time alternans (RT-ALT) at faster rates. This initiated VT/VF (cycle length