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Updated: Aug 3, 2026
Noninvasive Electrocardiography in the Perinatal Mouse
Published on: June 12, 2020
ECG of the "newborn" mouse (Mus domesticus) with specific reference to comparative AV transmission
L H van der Tweel1, J Strackee, A A Stokhof
1Laboratory of Medical Physics, the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Introduction:
The objective of this study was to record the ECG of the smallest living mammal to extend the domain of data for comparative AV nodal electrophysiologic purposes. These data are needed to establish the relationship between the PR interval and heart size in mammalian species of all sizes.
Methods And Results:
In recently born mice (age 1.5 to 8 weeks) weighing between 2.5 and 10 g and with estimated heart weights between 15 and 60 mg, ECGs, using bipolar limb leads, were recorded during general anesthesia. The PR interval, representing AV transmission time was about 40 msec, which is quite long for hearts of this size. On the basis of detailed analysis of the data, we postulate the presence of a fixed delay or discontinuous propagation in the AV node not only in newborn mice, but in mammals of all sizes.
Conclusion:
AV transmission times obtained in mammals (including humans) cannot be explained on the basis of generally accepted, classic AV conduction theories. The acceptance of the presence of a fixed delay in the AV node may ultimately be of value to better understand AV node function during sinus rhythm and supraventricular arrhythmias.
