Experimental Control of Cardiac Muscle Alternans

G. Martin Hall; Daniel J. Gauthier

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.198102

Experimental Control of Cardiac Muscle Alternans

G. Martin Hall and Daniel J. Gauthier

Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 198102 – Published 30 April 2002

Abstract

We demonstrate that alternans in small pieces of in vitro paced bullfrog (Rana Catesbeiana) myocardium can be suppressed by making minute adjustments to the pacing period in response to real time measurements of the action potential duration. Control is possible over a large range of physiological conditions over many animals and the self-referencing control protocol can automatically adjust to changes in the pacing interval. Our results suggest the feasibility of developing low-energy methods for maintaining normal cardiac function.

Received 26 July 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.88.198102

Authors & Affiliations

G. Martin Hall^* and Daniel J. Gauthier^†

Department of Physics, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems, Duke University, Box 90305, Durham, North Carolina 27708

^*Present address: Corvis Corp., 7015 Albert Einstein Drive, Columbia, MD 21046-9400.
^†Corresponding author. Email address: gauthier@phy.duke.edu.