Open AccessSublimation‐like behavior of cardiac dynamics in heart failure: A malignant phase transition?
Author(s) -
Goldberger Ary L.,
Henriques Teresa S.,
Mariani Sara
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
complexity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1099-0526
pISSN - 1076-2787
DOI - 10.1002/cplx.21811
Subject(s) - sublimation (psychology) , heart failure , medicine , sinus rhythm , cardiology , entropy (arrow of time) , phase transition , atrial fibrillation , thermodynamics , chemistry , physics , psychology , psychotherapist
An abrupt transition from sinus rhythm to atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We propose a conceptual framework for viewing this malignant transition in terms of a type of sublimation marked by the switch from highly periodic sinus interbeat interval dynamics characteristic of CHF to a state of random disorganization with AF. Sublimation of physical substances involves an increase in entropy via heat transfer. In contrast, the disease‐related sublimation‐like behavior involves a loss of information content, associated decreases in cardiac bioenergetic capacity and in multiscale entropy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 24–32, 2016