Vagal nerve activity recording in the awake condition for the control of an artificial heart system

To detect useful information for an artificial heart control system, we paid attention to the autonomic nervous system. For stable recording, we used vagal nerve activity in chronic animal experiments using healthy adult goats in an awake condition because this nerve was sufficiently bold and large enough. Vagal nerve discharges were successfully recorded from awake goats. They were synchronized with respiration and responded to the hemodynamic changes induced by drug administration, suggesting that they may provide useful information for an artificial heart control algorithm. For automatic control, some time delay plays a vitally important role. Thus, predictive control for an artificial heart system may be desirable. It may be embodied by the use of autonomic nerve information.