Role of KATP channels in the maintenance of ventricular fibrillation in cardiomyopathic human hearts.

Rationale: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) leads to global ischemia. The modulation of ischemia-dependent pathways may alter the electrophysiological evolution of VF.

Objective: We addressed the hypotheses that there is regional disease-related expression of K(ATP) channels in human cardiomyopathic hearts and that K(ATP) channel blockade promotes spontaneous VF termination by attenuating spatiotemporal dispersion of refractoriness.