Epicardial mapping in isolated hearts - Use in safety pharmacology, analysis of torsade de pointes arrhythmia and ischemia-reperfusion-related arrhythmia

Abstract

Epicardial multielectrode mapping is a technique which allows the analysis of the spreading of action potentials on the epicardial surface and the velocities along and transverse to the fiber axis (Dhein et al. 1999; Spach and Dolber 1985). Moreover, it allows the detection of local dispersion and inhomogeneities in repolarization (Kleber et al. 1978; Kuo et al. 1983; Lesh et al. 1989; Dhein et al. 1993). This technique can be employed in safety pharmacological analysis of drugs with regard to action potential prolonging effects (e.g. Dhein and Perlitz 2002; Carlsson et al. 1990), inhomogeneous effects on action potentials, elicitation of arrhythmia and treatment of arrhythmia, thereby allowing the assessment of the pro-arrhythmic activity of drugs (e.g. Dhein et al. 1993; Brugada and Wellens 1988). Moreover, it is possible to analyze certain forms of arrhythmia with regard to the pathways of a given arrhythmia (Allessie et al. 1977; Janse et al. 1980). © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.