The role of the heart's complex shape in causing the fragmentation of activation wave fronts
characteristic of ventricular fibrillation (VF) has not been well studied. We used a finite
element model of cardiac propagation capable of simulating functional reentry on curved
two-dimensional surfaces to test the hypothesis that uneven surface curvature can cause
local propagation block leading to proliferation of reentrant wave fronts. We found that when
reentry was induced on a flat sheet, it rotated in a repeatable meander pattern without …