A CELLULAR-AUTOMATA MODEL OF THE HEART AND ITS COUPLING WITH A QUALITATIVE MODEL

Cellular Automata (CA) models offer a good compromise between computat ional complexity and biological plausibility while qualitative models have expressive power for explicitly describing dynamic processes. In this paper we present a 2D CA model and its coupling with a qualitativ e model. The CA model includes elements characterizing muscle, nodal t issue, and bypass conduction. Each element exhibits adaptive propertie s to cycle length and to the prematurity of incoming impulses. A crude electrocardiogram is also simulated via an equivalent source formulat ion. Arrhythmias such as the Wenckebach phenomenon, atrial flutter, or extrasystole-triggered tachyarrhythmias can be simulated using relati vely simple models when they incorporate the fast conduction system wi th muscle tissue and when the model elements exhibit adaptive properti es. We then illustrate how a CA model can be coupled to a qualitative model to produce a system that combines the fine grained description o f CA models with the high level interpretative role of qualitative mod els. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.