cardiac conductivity

The study of cardiac conductivity is the investigation of the movement of electrical impulses through the conduction pathways of the heart. This pathway is conserved across mammals, and therefore animal models including mice, dogs and pigs provide a useful tool for furthering our understanding of the cardiac conduction system in health and diseases. The use of transgenic mice in particular is vital in unravelling the most fundamental mechanisms.

emka TECHNOLOGIES is able to provide all the equipment you need to study of cardiac conductivity:

• electrophysiology catheters
• electrophysiology stimulators
• amplifiers
• acquisition and analysis software

Electrophysiology catheters include the Millar EPR-800 with 8 electrodes along its length and suitable for mice as small as 2.5g. When used in combination with an advanced stimulus generator, a very wide range of protocols can be delivered. Use of atrial fixed-rate and extrastimulus pacing can be used to evaluate sinus node recovery time, Wenckebach periodicity, AV conduction, and atrial and AV nodal refractory periods. Stimulation can be applied to induce arrhythmias, and to asses ventricular vulnerability.

Data are acquired in iox software, which offers real-time analysis of mean action potential recorded from intracardiac electrodes, and other parameters.

iox data files can be loaded into ecgAUTO software for more in-depth analysis. ecgAUTO pioneered shape-based analysis, an algorithm that draws on user-selected and user-defined waveforms to produce rapid and accurate results. ecgAUTO also offers several controls to users such as the capacity to define custom parameters (AH interval, HV interval..), to detect episodes of atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, and to remove pacing stimuli spikes from data. 

Please contact us for further information about how we can help you evaluate cardiac conductivity.

further reading

Chelu MG, Sarma S, Sood S et al (2009) Calmodulin kinase II–mediated sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ leak promotes atrial fibrillation in mice. J Clin Invest 119(7):1940–1951