Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
1982
Abstract
Cardiac activation has been the subject of much research since its first practical clinical recording by Wilhelm Einthoven who in 1903 produced an electrocardiogram using a string galvanometer. This report describes a multiple electrode device which has been used to record the electrical activation of the epicardial surface of the heart during open heart surgery. It consists of flexible circuit materials and represents and improved version of a multiple electrode array already in use for the purpose of recording the activity of multiple epicardial sites simultaneously. Conventional epicardial mapping techniques utilize a handheld electrode probe that is moved over the surface of the heart to record from as many as 56 sites one at a time. This method can require as long as 45 minutes to complete the mapping with only a superficial signal analysis. This is inadequate for studying arrhythmias which can be transitory in duration. The improved electrode array consisting of 64 (or more) electrodes can be applied directly to the epicardial surface and can record the total epicardial activation sequence within a few beats. The time saved is significant and a truer picture of epicardial activation is obtained. It was developed primarily to assist in the research and surgical treatment of ventricular arrhythmias. The design of the electrode array can be easily changed which lends itself to a variety of applications. Such applications include use in cases of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome to guide the surgical section of accessory pathways and in drug infusion studies to determine the effects of drugs on cardiac activation.
Recommended Citation
Germann, Aloysius Edward, "Multiple Electrode Recording of Cardiac Activation." (1982). All ETDs from UAB. 7152.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7152
Comments
MS - Master of Science/Master of Surgery; ProQuest publication number 31752072