Complexity analysis of experimental cardiac arrhythmia

To study the cardiac arrhythmia, an in vitro experimental model and Multielectrodes Array (MEA) are used. This platform serves as an intermediary of the electrical activities of cardiac cells and the signal processing / dynamics analysis. Through it the extracellular potential of cardiac cells is acquired, allowing a real-time monitoring / analyzing. Since MEA has 60 electrodes / channels dispatched in a rectangular region, it allows real-time monitoring and signal acquisition on multiple sites. The in vitro experimental model (cardiomyocytes cultures from newborn rats´heart) is directly prepared on the MEA. This carefully prepared culture has similar parameters as cell of human´s heart. In order to discriminate the cardiac arrhythmia, complexity analysis methods (Approximate Entropy, ApEn and Sample Entropy, SampEn) are used especially taking into account noise. The results showed that, in case of arrhythmia, the ApEn and SampEn are reduced to about 50% of the original entropies. Both parameters could be used as factors to discriminate arrhythmia. Moreover, from a point of view of biophysics this decrease 50% of Entropy coincides with the bifurcation (periods, attractors etc.) in case of arrhythmia which have been reported previously. It supports once more the hypothesis that in case of cardiac arrhythmia, the heart entered into chaos which helps to better understand the mechanism of atrial fibrillation.