Development of an Epicardial Mapping Tank for Noninvasive Electrical Mapping of Ex Vivo Large Mammalian Hearts

Electroanatomical mapping provides key insights into cardiac function and arrhythmia location. Epicardial mapping allows for the recording of electrograms from the body surface that can be combined with an anatomical geometry to create a real-time functional voltage map of cardiac electrical activity. Isolated heart models, like those studied on the Visible Heart® apparatus, provide a valuable platform for medical device design but are often limited to modified 3-lead electrocardiograms that do not provide anatomically specific electrical data. To provide detailed electroanatomical data for experiments on the Visible Heart® apparatus, a novel modified epicardial mapping tank was created that utilizes the CardioInsight™ software to create a map of reanimated hearts. The epicardial mapping tank is composed of 252 electrodes that are distributed across acrylic plates that surround the isolated heart. Half normal saline provides continuity to the electrodes, allowing uninterrupted signal acquisition. The system is fully removable and can be positioned while maintaining reanimation. To date, 5 swine hearts and 1 human heart have been reanimated and mapped in the epicardial mapping tank. The unique datasets generated from the epicardial mapping chamber will be a critical tool in pacing, ablation, and defibrillation experiments as well as provide valuable information relative to conduction system physiology.