title: A sensitive flow-through microcalorimeter for measuring the heat production of cardiac trabeculae.
abstract: Measurement of the energy consumption of isolated cardiac muscle requires a flow-through microcalorimeter with sensitivity in the microW range. In this paper we describe and characterize a sensitive flow-through microcalorimeter, designed and constructed for measuring the heat output of cardiac trabeculae. The device exploits a non-contact, temperature-sensing technique utilizing infra-red-sensitive, thin-film thermopile sensors. The microcalorimeter achieves a sensitivity of 1.8-1.9 V/W at a flow rate of 1 microl/s, with a time constant of approximately 3.5 s. The typical power signal-to-noise ratio is better than 200. Predictions of a finite element model of the calorimeter's characteristics compare favourably with measured data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taberner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirton
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: F Nielsen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loiselle
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hunter