Journal Tittle: Acta Mechanica Sinica
Article Tittle: On the electrophysiology of the atrial fast conduction system: model validation and UQ analysis
Author: Giulio Del Corso, Roberto Verzicco, Francesco Viola
Novelty/impact/significance
Our study on the identification of the most sensitive parameters in the electrical activation of the atrial fast conduction system does not only increase our comprehension of the electrophysiology phenomena, but it also allows to improve existing computational models. Furthermore, determining what parameters influence the initial cardiac activation through sensitive analysis is a first step towards reduced order models and the design of effective inverse calibration for patient–specific applications.
Scientific question
What are the most sensitive input parameters influencing the electrical depolarization of the atrial fast conduction system?
Key of how
The uncertainty quantification provides a set of mathematical methods to study the uncertainty propagation of the input parameters of the electrophysiology model, by combining the deterministic approach used to solve the PDEs of the physical model with a probabilistic framework to handle the uncertainties of input parameters and of the quantities of interest.
Major points
1. The most sensitive parameters on each quantity of interest (QoI) are then identified for both genders showing the same order of importance of the model inputs on the electrical activation.
2 The probability distributions of the QoIs are obtained through a forward sensitivity analysis using the same trained metamodels.
3 Several input parameters – including the position of the internodal pathways and the electrical impulse applied at the sinoatrial node – have a little influence on the QoIs studied.
4 Vice–versa the electrical activation of the atrial fast conduction system is sensitive on the bundles geometry and electrical conductivities that need to be carefully measured or calibrated in order for the electrophysiology model to be accurate and predictive.
Funding of the work
This study has been performed with support of the Grant 2017A889FP ’Fluid dynamics of hearts at risk of failure: towards methods for the prediction of disease progressions’ funded by the Italian Ministry of Education and University.
Please go to the website to read this article: http://ams.cstam.org.cn/EN/abstract/abstract157398.shtml