Correlation dimension analysis of epicardial cell action potentials during different cardiac arrhythmias

The dynamical behaviour of the electrophysiological response of single cells in the isolated Langendorff-perfused heart during different induced arrhythmic conditions is analyzed using dimensional analysis (correlation dimension D/sub 2/) These experiments and analyses show that the correlation dimension for single epicardial cells during fibrillation is higher than during normal sinus rhythm. However, the dimension obtained from action potentials of the single epicardial cells is lower than that obtained from bipolar epicardial recordings. This study suggests the hypothesis that the transition from normal rhythm to the fibrillation is accompanied by a modest change in the dynamics of single epicardial heart cells. Low dimensional measurement at single cell level raises the possibility that dynamics of fibrillation may be amenable to analysis and control.<>