The Claim
The frequency of ventricular fibrillation and the size of its rotational wavefronts (rotors) scale with body mass according to a quarter-power law, with larger mammals exhibiting slower rotor frequencies and larger rotor cores, linked to longer action potential durations.
What the research says
Roughly balanced
Support and challenge are close. The picture may shift as more studies come in.
These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.
In larger mammals, the electrical patterns that cause ventricular fibrillation rotate more slowly and cover larger areas of the heart, and these patterns are associated with longer durations of cardiac electrical activity.
See the scientific wording
The frequency of ventricular fibrillation and the size of its rotational wavefronts (rotors) scale with body mass according to a quarter-power law, with larger mammals exhibiting slower rotor frequencies and larger rotor cores, linked to longer action potential durations.
In larger mammals, heart cells take longer to recover after each beat because of changes in the proteins that control electrical flow, which slows down the spinning waves of chaotic electricity during cardiac arrest and makes those spinning waves larger.
What the research says
1 studyStudy: Allometric scaling of electrical excitation and propagation in the mammalian heart
In bigger animals, the heart’s electrical chaos during cardiac arrest moves slower and spreads over a larger area because their heart cells take longer to reset after each beat — and this pattern follows a simple math rule tied to body size.
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.