Slow delayed rectifier potassium current (I-Ks) and the repolarization reserve

The aim of this review is to present the properties of the slow component of the delayed rectifier potassium current (I-Ks) in the human ventricle. The review gives a detailed description of the physiology, molecular biology and pharmacology of the I-Ks current, including kinetic properties, genetic structures, agonists and antagonists. The authors also present the role of the I-Ks current in the human cardiac repolarization focusing on several pathophysiological situations, such as the LQT syndrome and the Torsade de Pointes arrhythmia.