Ventricular Tachycardia or Fibrillation Storm in Coronavirus Disease

Figure 4

Electrophysiological mechanisms underlying ventricular arrhythmias from hypoxia and hypercapnia [23]. Decreased partial pressure of oxygen, increased partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and decreased pH lead to reduced ATP, reduced upstroke velocity, and increased ROS. These electrophysiological changes with interplay of additional variables promote arrhythmia via non-reentrant and reentrant mechanisms. Source: Lee et al. [25]. Reproduced with permission. Abbreviations: ATP: adenosine triphosphate; PaCO₂: partial pressure of carbon dioxide; PaO₂: partial pressure of oxygen; ROS: reactive oxygen species; RyR: ryanodine receptors; SR: sarcoplasmic reticulum.