title: A phased-array stimulator system for studying planar and curved cardiac activation wavefronts.
abstract: Wavefront propagation in cardiac tissue is affected greatly by the geometry of the wavefront. We describe a computer-controlled stimulator system that creates reproducible wavefronts of a predetermined shape and orientation for the investigation of the effects of wavefront geometry. We conducted demonstration experiments on isolated perfused rabbit hearts, which were stained with the voltage-sensitive dye, di-4-ANEPPS. The wavefronts were imaged using a laser and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The stimulator and imaging systems have been used to characterize the relationship between wavefront velocity and fiber orientation. This approach has potential applications in investigating curvature effects, testing numerical models of cardiac tissue, and creating complex wavefronts using one-, two-, or three-dimensional electrode arrays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA. abbasr@comcast.net
authors.forename: Rashida A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Shien-Fong
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mashburn
authors.forename: Junkai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wikswo
mesh_terms: D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007834:Lasers; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D014159:Transducers