CHAOS OF THE HEART:
     MODERN HEART MEDICINE IS NOT ALWAYS SUBTLE.  IF A HEART STARTS
FIBRILLATING, BEATING 300 TIMES A MINUTE OR EVEN HIGHER, A DOCTOR WILL GIVE IT
A HUGE JOLT OF ELECTRICITY TO SLOW IT DOWN. 
     DITTO: "The amount of energy going into your heart feeils like a mule kicking you in the chest. "
     PHYSICSIST WILLIAM DITTO AT GEORGIA TECH THINKS HE CAN USE A MORE
SUBTLE APPROACH BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE VERY CHAOS THAT CAUSED THE
FIBRILLATION IN THE FIRST PLACE.  JONATHAN LANGBERG, EXPLAINS THAT TO A
SCIENTIST THE WORD CHAOS ACTUALLY MEANS THERE'S SOME ORDER THERE. 
     LANGBERG: "The heart rhythm atrial fibrillation is in fact a chaotic process, which means even
thoug it looks completely random and irregular there actually is a pattern there. "
     IT'S HARD TO IDENTIFY THESE PATTERNS BECAUSE THEY FADE OUT AS QUICKLY
AS THEY COME.  JUST A SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT CAN DRASTICALLY CHANGE A CHAOTIC
PATTERN.   THE WEATHER IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A CHAOTIC SYSTEM--SOMETHING AS
SMALL AS A BUTTERFLY FLAPPING ITS WINGS CAN CHANGE THE WIND PATTERN AND
CAUSE A STORM HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.  IN THE SAME WAY, A LITTLE
ELECTRICITY IN THE RIGHT PLACE COULD STOP THE IRREGULAR BEATING OF A
FIBRILLATING HEART, SAYS DITTO. 
     DITTO: "What we want is to apply a very small trickle of current to the heart and then let that
violent motion of the heart work for us instead of against us."
     SO FAR THEY HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS, BUT NEED TO KEEP IMPROVING THE
TECHNIQUE.  SOMEDAY, DITTO AND LANGBERG HOPE THEY CAN PUT CHAOS TO WORK
TO REPLACE CURRENT PACEMAKERS.