The Theory
Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the pathological occurrence whereby the myocardium shivers or fibrillates uncontrollably without a sustained continuous conduction, forcing multiple ineffective contractions of right atrial heart muscle and inefficient filling of the right ventricle. This process is widely adopted to be a result of conduction errors in the sinoatrial node, and the pathological events that subsequently occur after the AF event are also well documented. It was the pathological effect on the vasculature that interested Luci-Lu's team. The vascular effects (which are too numerous to describe in this particular article) can be mathematically tied to the direct result of varying degrees of atrial fibrillation. The degrees of AF can be distinguished as multiples of the constant ζ = 0.0693. Below is a table outlining exact AF degree classification:
| Physiological/Pathological effect | Degree of AF |
|---|---|
| AF with return to sinus rhythm within 1 minute, no AV node involvement | 1 x ζ |
| AF multiple episodes returning to sinus rhythm within 1 minute, AV node involvement, +/- secretion of ANP | 2 x ζ |
| AF multiple episodes not returning to sinus rhythm within 1 minute, AV node involvement, +ve ANP secretion | 3 x ζ |
Once the degree of AF has been obtained, the vascular changes as a result of the AF can be calculated; the vascular changes are directly proportional to the degree of AF multiplied by the vessel wall change in pressure as a derivative of the vascular tension and thickness - as defined by:
where represents Howard's Value (or the Degree of Vessel Wall Changes), P is the pressure exerted on the vessel lumen in mmHg, t is time in seconds, y is equal to the derivative variability (y = -1), T is vessel wall tension and M represents the vessel wall thickness in mm.
Read more about this topic: Howard's Law
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