Spiral wave breakup: Optical mapping in an explanted human heart shows the transition from ventricular tachycardia to ventricular fibrillation and self-termination

Since the first demonstration of ventricular fibrillation induction by electrical stimulation in 1850 by Hoffa and Ludwig,1 many mechanisms2,3 have been identified that initiate the complex dynamics of fibrillation. We report a high-resolution visualization of a spiral wave transitioning into multiple waves in human ventricles by using optical mapping (voltage and calcium) from the posterior epicardial surface (∼7 × 7 cm2) of an explanted heart from a 38-year-old female transplant recipient.