Loading effects of anisotropic ventricular muscle on the peripheral conduction system

The authors performed three-dimensional simulations of action potential propagation in a model of the peripheral conduction system connected to overlying ventricular myocardium. The authors' goal was to study the electrical interactions at the discrete subendocardial Purkinje-ventricular junctions (PVJ) and the nature of the load imposed on the Purkinje layer by the myocardium. The authors describe the construction of the model, which electrically connects an anisotropic sheet of myocardial cells to a layer of branching Purkinje cables through a transitional layer at discrete junctional sites. Simulations used the Luo and Rudy Phase I membrane equations for the myocardial and transitional components of the model and the Di Francesco and Noble membrane equations for the peripheral conduction system component.